Arsenal are gunning for their 14th FA Cup triumph this weekend but the stakes are just a little bit higher for this one.
They take on Frank Lampard’s Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, a match you can listen to LIVE on talkSPORT, kick-off 5:30pm.
This FA Cup final could decide what direction Arsenal go in for the next few years
Both sides will be hell bent on winning the final but there’s no denying Arsenal need this win a lot more.
Chelsea have secured their Champions League status for next season having finished fourth in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, the Gunners’ eighth-placed finish means winning the FA Cup is their final hope of qualifying for the 2020/21 Europa League.
There’s no doubting they’re improving under Mikel Arteta but lose this and it’s a major setback.
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The Times reported in December that failure to reach the Europa League could see them miss out on £40million.
They’d lose commercial, ticket sales and TV income should they fail to make it to Europe for the first time since 1996.
It goes on to say how playing in the Europa League rather than the Champions League in 2017/18 had cost Arsenal about £35m.
Their annual financial results released in December stated the club earned £36.6 million in broadcasting revenue from the Europa League last season. That would be lost, along with UEFA prize money, if they fail to qualify.
It could also lead to reduced commercial income, including from sponsors, and a potential issue with money from season tickets as Arsenal include seven cup matches in the price and fans may want a cheaper season ticket to refund the decrease in matches.
Arsenal are already feeling the effects of no Champions League football but no Europa League would be a big blow
So what next for Arsenal if they miss out on all this cash? Well, an effective financial solution would be to sell some of their best players.
Keeping hold of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a difficult enough task but no European football and a lack of funds surely won’t encourage the striker to sign a new deal.
And in order to make any kind of money out of Aubameyang, Arsenal will be forced to sell him this summer, as his contract expires in June 2021.
Saying one match can change the history of a football club is a cliché but in this case for Arsenal, it really can decide everything.