Igaqele i-Europa ngowamanqamu i-Arsenal
NgeSonto eledlule emdlalweni yokugcina ye-English Premier League (EPL), imidlalo eyayibhekwe kakhulu oweLeicester City neManchester United kanye noweChelsea FC neWolverhampton Wanderers FC.
Obekwenza kubhekwe kakhulu le midlalo yingoba la maqembu abelwela ukubalwa namane aphezulu kulogi njengoba besekucacile ukuthi iLiverpool FC iyona ezoqeda isesicongweni ilandelwe iManchester City. Amaqembu aqeda endaweni yesine kuya phezulu athola ithuba lokuthi adlale umqhudelwano omkhulu wamaqembu emhlabeni i-UEFA Champions League.
Sekuwumlando ukuthi iMan United yakwazi ukuguqisa iLeicester City ngamagoli amabili eqandeni yagcina ilele endaweni yesithathu neChelsea yahlula iWolves nayo ngamagoli amabili eqandeni yaqeda endaweni yesine.
Kule mpelasonto umdlalo obhekiwe ophakathi kwe-Arsenal FC neChelsea FC, la maqembu azotholana emdlalweni wamanqamu eFA Cup.
Lo mdlalo womkhaya baseLondon uzobanjelwa eWembley Stadium kusasa ngoMgqibelo ngele-16:50.
Zimbili izinto ezizobe zibhekwe kulo mdlalo, eyokuqala ukuthi i-Arsenal FC izofuna ukuwunqoba noma ikanjani ukuze izokwazi ukuthi idlale i-Europa League ngesizini ezayo. I-Europa League iyiligi enkulu njengoba ingaphansi kwe-UEFA Champions League.
IFA Cup ifana neNedbank Cup okungumqhudelwano wakuleli, okuwukuthi noma udlala ehlathini kodwa uma uwunqobile uyakwazi ukudlala e-Afrika. Okwesibili okuzobe kubhekiwe ukuthi iChelsea FC eteketiswa ngokuthi iThe Blues, izobe ifuna ukuziphindiselela kumaGunners (i-Arsenal FC).
Lezi zinkunzi zaseLondon sezike zatholana kabili kowamanqamu alo mqhudelwano iThe Blues ikhala ngaphansi.
Ngonyaka wezi-2001 emdlalweni owawubanjelwe eMillenium Stadium, iGunners yanqoba ngamagoli amabili eqandeni. Ziphinde zatholana lezi zinkunzi ngesizini yangowezi-2016/17 eWembley Stadium iGunners yanqoba ngamagoli amabili kwelilodwa.
Ngokomlando iGunners iyona ehamba phambili ngokunqoba iFA Cup esiyinqobe kali-13 kuthi iThe Blues yona isiyinqobe kayisi-8.
Womabili la maqembu ahambela phezulu njengoba kumasemi-final enqobe imidlalo enzima kakhulukazi i-Arsenal eyahlula ngamagoli amabili iManchester City enkundleni yayo i-Etihad Stadium eyaziwa ngokuthi alikho elibuyayo kuyo.
IChelsea FC yona yehlula iManchester United ngamagoli amathathu kwelilodwa emdlalweni owawubanjelwe eWembley Stadium.
IMan City iyona ngesizini edlule enqobe lo mqhudelwano,nalapho eyabhaxabula khona iWatford ngamagoli ayisi-6 eqandeni,
“Ukunqoba kweqembu iFA akusho ukuthi lenze kahle kule sizini. Uma niyiqembu elikhulu kumele nilwele ukwenza kahle kuzona zonke izicoco. Sizoya kulo mdlalo ngaphandle kukaShkodran Mustafi lokho kungikhathaza kakhulu ngoba uyisitobha esinamava besimdinga ukuba asivimbele iziwengu zeChelsea FC,” kusho uMikel Arteta oqeqesha i-Arsenal FC.
Eziwengini u-Arteta akhuluma ngazo ubala uChristian Pulisic, uWillian, uMason Mount no-Olivier Giroud.
“Indlela esidlale ngayo emidlalweni emibili edlule sikhombisile ukuthi yini esizimisele ngayo. Sikwazile ukushaya amagoli esiwombeni sokuqala okuchaza ukuthi yinhle indlela esihlasela ngayo. Umdlalo wangoMgqibelo awulula neze ngoba ne-Arsenal FC inokuzethemba okufana nokwethu ngoba kumasemi-final yahlula ompetha iMan City. Siyadinga nakanjani ukuba sinqobe,” kusho uLampard.
I-Arsenal izobe igabe ngoPierri-Emerick Aubemeyang olithemba elikhulu laleli qembu nophinde abe ngukaputeni, uNicolas Pepe, u-Alexandre Lacazette noGranit Xhaka olibamba kuthule umoya esiswini.