The captain has been seen as the creative hub of this Arsenal team and Walcott has the pace to stretch any defence but in their absence others will have the opportunity to step up to the plate. Cesc Fabregas is devastated to be missing the chance to lead his team to its first trophy in nearly six years but there is enough potential in this squad for his teammates to finish the job on his behalf.

One of the players who will be best placed to fill his boots has actually underperformed for the majority of this season but the big game Russian could be building an appetite just as the business end of the season approaches. Andrei Arshavin’s attacking talents have been overshadowed by the excellence of Samir Nasri this season, yet he has still recorded the joint highest number of assists in the league and struck the winner in our most impressive win of the season at home to Barcelona. Arshavin loves rising to the occasion and in Fabregas and Walcott’s absence he could be the man who fills the creative void against Birmingham.

The Blues will work their socks off at Wembley but, as long as the pitch is true, we have the potential to outplay them. With a spine of Szczesny, Djourou, Song and van Persie we should have the strength of character to impose ourselves in our first final for four years and the talented front three of van Persie, Nasri and Arshavin should have too much for Birmingham.

Anything can happen in a football match though, especially in a cup final, and it is unusual for one side to win comfortably despite Birmingham’s odds of 8/1. A win at Wembley could propel us to great things this season and beyond but a defeat would threaten to derail the momentum that we have built in all four competitions and damage the confidence that has begun to surge through the club. It’s a huge, nerve shredding game that will tell us more than words ever could about this Arsenal side.

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