Arsenal vs Chelsea: Arsene Wenger's head-to-head record against FA Cup Final rivals

Arsene Wenger has overseen numerous London derbies against Chelsea in his 21 years at Arsenal, meeting no fewer than 12 Blues managers domestically and in European competition.

Antonio Conte will be looking to win the Double on Saturday when his Premier League champions face the Gunners in the FA Cup Final, but Wenger will be hoping his strong record against Chelsea will help turn the tide.

In his first match against Chelsea as Arsenal manager, Wenger guided his side to a comfortable 3-0 victory against Ruud Gullit’s side in April 1997.

He managed to get the better of Gullit on all four occasions the pair met, including a 1998 semi-final victory in the League Cup.

Gianluca Vialli succeeded the Dutchman at Chelsea in February 1998 and upset Wenger’s record against Chelsea, though Arsenal managed to beat the Italian three times in their seven meetings.

Despite Arsenal's below-par record against Vialli, Wenger was more successful against his compatriot Claudio Ranieri: the Frenchman battled the Italian 14 times and lost just once, with eight victories and five draws between 2000 and 2004.

Ranieri did manage to win the most significant meeting between the two – when his side knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League quarter-final in 2004.

Ranieiri’s sacking saw Jose Mourinho become the manager of the west London club in June 2004, leading to one of the most heated rivalries in English football. The ex-Porto manager ended his first stint with Chelsea in September 2007.

Having left Real Madrid at the end of the 2012-13 season, Mourinho enjoyed a successful return to Stamford Bridge in June 2013 and lifted the league title two years later.

Mourinho labelled Wenger as a “specialist in failure” in 2014, and in the 15 matches with the two managers in charge of Arsenal and Chelsea, the Frenchman managed to get the better of the Portuguese just once – edging the Community Shield 1-0 in 2015.

Avram Grant was the fifth Chelsea manager Wenger came up against. The two teams met twice in the 2007-08 season, with both coaches securing a victory each during Grant’s short tenure.

Wenger faced Chelsea’s coveted new boss Luiz Felipe Scolari just once in 2008, with the Gunners winning 2-1 thanks to Robin van Persie’s double.

Scholari’s shock dismissal was followed by the appointment of Guus Hiddink – the first of two caretaker manager roles the Dutchman took at Chelsea. In his first spell with the club – in 2009 - he beat Arsenal twice, with one league win and an FA Cup semi-final victory.

In his second spell with the club, Hiddink continued his dominance over Wenger by beating Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates in the 2015-16 season.

Following Hiddink’s first stint at Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti took charge after having won every major trophy with AC Milan. Wenger played the Italian four times during his time in England – winning once in December 2010 and losing three times before leaving Chelsea in 2011.

Andre Villas-Boas was appointed as the Chelsea manager in June 2011, losing his only match against Wenger 5-3 in October before being sacked by Chelsea the following March.

Roberto Di Matteo was then in charge for a whirlwind six-month period. Wenger’s record against the Italian is disappointing having not won a match against him, while Di Matteo also led Chelsea to their maiden Champions League victory in May 2012.

Chelsea then appointed former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez in 2013. Even though he was not the most popular among the fans, the Spaniard defeated the Gunners 2-1 in his only game against Wenger’s team.

Antonio Conte is the latest Chelsea manager in the long list the Frenchmen has faced during his time with Arsenal.

Conte was appointed at the beginning of the 2016-17 campaign following the second stints of both Mourinho and Hiddink between 2014-2016.

Wenger’s side have played the Blues twice this season, having won the first and lost the second.