The Twelfth Man

FA Cup semi-finals

Enter the Lion's Den

Predominantly saved for England internationals, when the Three Lions are on hiatus Wembley Stadium welcomes fans from up and down the country eager to see their club side triumph. The semi-final of this year’s FA Cup, under the now famous arch, pits Arsenal against Chelsea and Manchester United against Everton.  With four of the Premiership‘s top six featuring in the Cup including all three remaining English Champions League challengers, squads are starting to wear thin. Arsenal are missing Manuel Almunia, William Gallas and Gael Clichy, Manchester United are without Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov, Everton have Louis Saha injured and Jo cup-tied while Chelsea lose Deco and Jose Bosingwa to injury. With a capacity of 90,000 people, the ‘twelfth man’ might just come into play. On a tense April evening with a cup final appearance at stake,  it could be those fans who sing and chant the loudest that ultimately sway the match in their club’s favor.