Cech hoping for FA Cup joy against old friends when Arsenal face Chelsea

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech is relishing a
"special" FA Cup final against former club Chelsea.
Cech won the Premier League and FA Cup four
times apiece during a decorated Chelsea career,
which also included glory in three EFL Cups, the
Champions League and the Europa League before
he joined Arsenal in 2015.
His former employers are on course to be crowned
champions of England once more this time around
and are expected to have the double in their sights
at Wembley next month, having seen off Tottenham
4-2 in a thrilling semi-final.
Arsenal needed extra time to defeat Manchester
City 2-1 in a similarly pulsating encounter on
Sunday and Cech hopes for a memorable reunion
with old friends.
"Yes, it's going to be special," he said. "Every FA
Cup final is special in itself and, obviously, I'll play
against a team where I had huge success and
spent so many wonderful years.
"Hopefully I will be the one who goes celebrating
after."
Backers of an Arsenal success against Pep
Guardiola's side were probably in a minority at the
weekend after Sergio Aguero deftly got the better of
Cech to give City a 62nd-minute lead.
But Nacho Monreal fired Arsene Wenger's side
level and Cech touched a Yaya Toure volley
against the post before Alexis Sanchez pounced
during the additional period.
It was a victory that the 34-year-old goalkeeper
felt offered a convincing answer to critics who have
questioned Arsenal's character amid dwindling
form over recent months.
"I think it's easy to hide behind saying, 'we lack
leaders, they lack leaders, these guys have'," he
said.
"You need to see what's happening behind the
scenes, how well the team works and how we
operate.
"Sometimes, obviously, you have periods of the
game where you have prepared, you've done the
right things but the game starts and it goes
completely wrong.
"We had a difficult period when the team was
losing games it shouldn't have lost and then you
come to the situation where you play under
pressure and need to find a way out.
"Sometimes you find a way out quickly, sometimes
it takes a little bit of time and it can cause
damage.
"I think the most important thing [against City] was
the discipline of the whole team and the effort.
Everybody stuck to the plan and the individual
performances were brilliant.
"It was a very difficult game against a very difficult
opponent. At times they have been brilliant, even in
this game although they lost. It was very difficult
but we managed to find the answers."
Arsenal return to Premier League action with a
home match against Leicester City on Wednesday.
They lie seventh in the table, albeit with games in
hand on the sides above them, and their situation
means Cech does not believe they can afford to
bask in a satisfying moment of cup success.
"I think we're going to be under pressure in every
game from now," he added. "With the position we
are in in the league there is no other option.
"We need to keep getting three points every game
to hope that we can get the automatic qualification
for the Champions League next season.
"This is going to be one challenge and, secondly,
you play football to win big games and to be
involved in the big occasions.
"You want to play in finals. I think everybody
showed that it's not only about coming to take part
in a semi-final and hoping it is going to be your
day."

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