Mertesacker starts for Arsenal in FA Cup final

LONDON

Arsenal club captain Per Mertesacker made his first start of the season as part of a makeshift back three in Saturday's FA Cup final against Double-chasing Chelsea at Wembley.

With Laurent Koscielny suspended, Gabriel injured and Shkodran Mustafi sidelined with concussion, Mertesacker was due to line up alongside 21-year-old Rob Holding and converted left-back Nacho Monreal.

German World Cup-winner Mertesacker, 32, underwent surgery after injuring his knee in pre-season and made his first appearance of the campaign as a substitute in last weekend's 3-1 win over Everton.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger restored cup goalkeeper David Ospina in place of Petr Cech, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made his return from a hamstring injury as an auxiliary left-sided wing-back.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte had a full squad to pick from and selected Pedro over Willian on the right wing, leaving the Brazilian on the bench for the first time in this season's FA Cup campaign.

Wenger is seeking to become the first manager to win seven FA Cups, while Premier League champions Chelsea are bidding to complete the second Double in their history.

Starting line-ups in the FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday (7.30pm):

Arsenal (3-4-2-1): David Ospina; Rob Holding, Per Mertesacker (capt), Nacho Monreal; Hector Bellerin, Aaron Ramsey, Granit Xhaka, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez; Danny Welbeck

Manager: Arsene Wenger (FRA)

Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Thibaut Courtois; Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill (capt); Victor Moses, N'Golo Kante, Nemanja Matic, Marcos Alonso; Pedro, Eden Hazard; Diego Costa
Manager: Antonio Conte (ITA)

Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)