FA Cup Final: Gunners Set for Cup Coup D'etat

Some bookmakers have eased Arsenal in the betting for Saturday's F.A. Cup final encounter with Manchester United because Thierry Henry has been ruled out through injury. However, it is worth bearing mind that Henry, brilliant though he is, did not score any of the seven goals that the Gunners put past Everton on May 11.Therefore, it would be plain folly to entertain the notion that the absence of one individual will stop the Highbury outfit leaving the Millennium Stadium with the goods. Indeed, Arsene Wenger's men will be ending the season with a trophy to adorn the cabinet of Highbury's marble halls and, as such, the advice is this:get stuck into the 13-8 offered by VCBet! Although United have come up trumps in four of their last five encounters with Arsenal - including in last year's F.A.Cup semi-final - they have failed to impress in the Premiership recently. By contrast, Arsenal have looked more like the side that carried all before them last season: dogged in defence, magical in the middle of the park and awesome in attack.Despite losing away to Birmingham last weekend, Arsenal's form has otherwise been exemplary, and that 7-0 drubbing of Everton was, to be candid, embarrassing to watch. The contempt with which the Gunners went about dismantling Everton was an absolute master class of incisive attacking flair; and an introduction in how to get all the lads involved: no fewer than six different players had their names etched on the score sheet.That victory came three days after beating Champions League finalists Liverpool 3-1. VCBet may wish to consider the fact that there was no Henry present on that occasion. And they should also note that three different players - Pires, Reyes and Fabregas respectively - netted the goals. Still not convinced? Well, Henry was also on the easy list during Arsenal's four matches prior to the Everton game: a 2-0 win at West Brom, a 1-0 beating of Spurs, a 0-0 draw with champions Chelsea and a 3-0 hammering of Blackburn in the semi-final of this competition. Henry is irrefutably one of the world's best strikers and by no means should anyone detract from his worth, but the point is that Arsenal are far from being impotent without him.For their part, Man Utd do come into this game on the back of a victory. They wielded the final nail into the Southampton Premiership coffin with a 2-1victory at St Mary's last weekend. And they do have players that are capable of genuine magic, not least Wayne Rooney. But, since the Italian maestros of AC Milan cast a cloud over Old Trafford by knocking the Red Devils out of the Champions League, Sir Alex Ferguson's team have, by their own high standards, performed indifferently. They have been held to draws by First Division-bound Crystal Palace and by Premiership survivors Blackburn and West Brom; beaten 2-0 by Premiership whipping boys Norwich (no offence, Delia); and lost at Everton.However, the most painful of all was the punishing 3-1 defeat that they suffered at the hands of Chelsea in their own backyard on May 10. Add the recent furore of Malcolm Glazer's imminent take over into the mix - and the speculation surfacing over the manager's future - and you're looking at a team that, despite being top class, are carrying a touch too much baggage into a match of this magnitude.In addition to the mouthwatering 13-8 about Arsenal in the Win market, the 11-4 offered by Ladbrokes about Robin van Persie in the Anytime Goalscorer betting is decidedly magnanimous. The generosity of this price is put into perspective by the fact that Sportingodds price the same bet up at 11-10.The Dutchman scored two truly outstanding goals against Blackburn in the last round and, with the talismanic Henry on the sidelines, he can continue his burgeoning relationship up front with Jose Antonio Reyes and reproduce some of that goalscoring magic. I'm afraid to say that the four-and-a-bit hour train journey from Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly will feel like an eternity for the United fraternity. Betting verdict: 3pt Arsenal to win @ 13/8 (VCBet) & 1pt van Persie to score anytime @ 9/4 (Blue Square).