Arteta vs. Lampard
This is the meeting of two head coaches credited with instigating improvement, seeking validation at the start of their managerial careers by winning their first piece of silverware. Both have a strong affiliation with the competition having won it as players (Lampard four times, Arteta twice) and they're aiming to put themselves at the vanguard of the next generation of managers aiming to rival the dominance of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
Chelsea can focus purely on the football, while Arsenal are acutely aware of the financial implications at Wembley.
With Champions League football secured on the final day of the Premier League season, the Blues are pressing ahead with a rebuild that has already seen Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner arrive, with Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz and Leicester's Ben Chilwell next on the hit list.
Yet Arsenal's summer plans hinge on qualifying for Europe to help mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19. Several agents have told ESPN that the Gunners have been in contact to discuss players, with their interest contingent upon reaching the Europa League.
The Gunners earned around £34 million for their run to the final last year, and the chance to earn a similar amount will strengthen their resolve to compete in the transfer market. It would also help them find the funds to retain striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who ESPN revealed earlier this month is requesting a three-year contract worth up to £250,000 a week.
The mere fact a trophy is at stake should be sufficient motivation, but the stakes are higher for Arsenal just as they were in Baku.
Arsenal are not in the same tumultuous state as Chelsea were in Azerbaijan, but the cold facts are their star striker's future is uncertain and they're missing goalkeeper Bernd Leno and Mustafi through injury, while the Blues are already planning for next term and finished the campaign on a high.
Arteta dismissed the 2019 version as irrelevant. "A year in football is a different life, really," he said. "Even two weeks or three days later, you can see a team performing one way then they can be a different team, so I think there is not many things to get from that [final]."
He will certainly hope that proves to be the case this weekend.
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