England & Scotland set for Cup finals Saturday

The showpiece English FA Cup and Scottish Cup finals on Saturday will see Arsenal face Aston Villa at Wembley and Falkirk play Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Hampden Park.

A global TV audience of half a billion people is expected to watch the Gunners take on Villa.

Arsenal, seeking a record 12th FA Cup, face a club who last won it in 1957.

In Scotland, top-flight Inverness CT and second-tier Falkirk make for an unexpected final line-up.

Arsenal v Aston Villa (17:30 BST)

Arsenal are odds-on favourites to win the world's longest-running cup competition, which brings the English season to a conclusion.

The London side, managed by Arsene Wenger, won last year's FA Cup to move level with Manchester United with 11 wins in the competition.

They beat Villa 3-0 and 5-0 in the league this season and finished 14 places above them, in third. Villa narrowly avoided relegation, ending the top-flight season one place above the drop zone.

Tim Sherwood's side have not reached this stage since 2000, when they were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea.

The BBC will be broadcasting the climax to the prestigious tournament for the first time since 2008.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger:

"It's not easy to get to the FA Cup final and it's not easy to finish in the top three in England.

"We have been remarkably consistent since January and that's why I think we have a good chance next season."

Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood:

"I know what the boys are capable of in one-off games. On big occasions, they've produced the goods and we need to do it one more time.

"The boys performed on a huge stage as underdogs against Liverpool [Villa recorded a 2-1 win in the semi-final], but we deserved to win that game and we're hoping we can do the same."

TEAM NEWS

Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck will miss the final after failing to recover from a knee injury.

Attacking midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, full-back Mathieu Debuchy and captain Mikel Arteta are in contention after returning to training following recent injuries.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given could be set to take his place in goal having recovered from a groin injury.

Full-back Aly Cissokho, midfielder Kieran Richardson and defender Jores Okore trained along with Given on Friday, but centre-back Ciaran Clark is out with a knee injury.

Inverness CT v Falkirk (15:00 BST)

There will be a surprise name on the Scottish Cup as Premiership side Inverness Caledonian Thistle take on Championship club Falkirk.

League champions and 36-time winners Celtic were seen off by Caley Thistle following a dramatic semi-final that finished 1-1 in normal time and witnessed three more goals in extra-time, with defender David Raven grabbing the winner.

Manager John Hughes's side will be looking to go one better than in 2014, when they were beaten by Aberdeen on penalties in the Scottish League Cup final - their first major cup final. They have already secured a spot in the Europa League after finishing third in the Premiership.

Two-time winners Falkirk, meanwhile, came through three rounds before Craig Sibbald's 75th-minute effort saw off fellow Championship side Hibernian.

The Bairns won the trophy in 1913 and 1957, but they were in the final as recently as 2009 when they were beaten 1-0 by Rangers.

TEAM NEWS

Falkirk's fit-again striker Rory Loy is in the squad, but the Bairns' top scorer, who has not featured since injuring an ankle against Queen of the South in the quarter-final on 6 March, may start on the bench. Mark Kerr and John Baird are both cup-tied.

Inverness are without the suspended Gary Warren after the defender was booked in the semi-final win.

Long-term absentee Richie Foran remains on the sidelines because of a knee injury.

Falkirk manager Peter Houston:

"I think we all agree that Inverness are overwhelming favourites as they are third in the Scottish Premiership and they are there for a reason - they are a really good side.

"I have a fair idea what team John Hughes will play and he might have a fair idea what we will play as well.

"But it is down to the Saturday afternoon and who handles it.

"In a one-off situation anything can happen and because you are underdogs it doesn't mean you can't win the match."

Inverness manager John Hughes:

"This year, getting that Europa League spot through the league placing for the first time in the club's history - that's your bread and butter. That tells you how good a team you are throughout the season.

"Then the Scottish Cup final. If we can go and win it, it would be remarkable."