Chelsea Favoured in Saturday's FA Cup Final

Millions upon millions of football fans from the UK and beyond will tune in to watch tomorrow's FA Cup Final, which kicks off at 7:15pm EAT at Wembley Stadium, which will see betting favourites Chelsea pitted against Liverpool.

Leading UK land and online sportsbook William Hill has posted the following 2012 FA Cup final betting odds:

FA Cup Final Odds at William Hill

Chelsea - 13/10
Tie - 9/4
Liverpool - 21/10

Both of these teams have a lot at stake on Saturday, which is why you can bet they'll both bring along their A+ games.

If Chelsea chalks up a victory, it will set them up nicely to take down the double when they face German club Bayern Munich on May 19 in the UEFA Champions League final in Germany. For Liverpool, after winning the Carling Cup in February, they can pull off their own double by bagging the FA Cup title.

This bodes very well for football fans because it means they can look forward to a tough,  no-holds barred game, where both sides will be as hungry and eager for a win as the other.

Looking at Chelsea, the Blues have had a pretty good season all-round, and while they are not a threat to this season's Premier League title, they have no reason to hang their heads in shame after a pretty good season. In fact, their current standings have been lauded by most fans of the team, who at the start of the season, expected much worse.

Chelsea Could Pull off Prestigious Double

Chelsea was lost and unfocused under the guidance of manager Andre Villas-Boas, but after he was given his marching orders in March, interim coach Roberto Di Matteo succeeded in pulling the Blues together and turning them into real contenders this season. Even if they fall to Liverpool tomorrow and again to Bayern in a few weeks, few Chelsea fans will forget how they dispatched one of the world's best football teams, Barcelona, in the UEFA Champions Leagues semi finals. As such, it would be almost poetic if, after their rough start to the season, Chelsea pulls off the prestigious double.

Liverpool have also had an interesting season, but for different reasons. While they started off the season on a very high note after winning the Carling Cup, their Premier League season hasn't been nearly as impressive. A bucket of points off the lead and 12 points behind Chelsea in the current standings, the Reds have been no major threat threat in the league.

Liverpool Looking to Silence Their Critics

But then Liverpool has excelled in the FA Cup and deserve to be right where they are now. While many detractors of the team feel that the side's poor Premier League season performance would take away from its potential double, fans of the team disagree strongly, saying that pulling off a double is no mean feat and should be celebrated. It wouldn't be the first time in the sport where a team has excelled in certain competitions and leagues, and faltered in others. Liverpool will be aiming to keep their critics quiet by adding to their trophy cabinet tomorrow.

For my betting buck, I see Liverpool smashing their underdog status to notch up a victory in the 2012 FA Cup final, 3-2.