Arsenal believes it’s better than Manchester United. Chelsea wants to prove it’s catching up with both.

London’s top two soccer teams travel 150 miles to Cardiff, Wales, to face each other on Saturday in English soccer’s most prestigious one-off game, the FA Cup final. The two star-studded teams have been in the shadow of Manchester United for the past decade.

With Arsenal on the brink of replacing the Reds as Premier League champion and Chelsea seeking to recapture the form that made it Cup Winners Cup titlist four years ago, it should be a high-quality game at the Millennium Stadium.

Some of the best players in world soccer are on show and both teams are in standout form.

Arsene Wenger’s Gunners, who need just a point at Old Trafford on Wednesday to clinch their first league title in four years, have won eight league and cup games in a row to overtake the Reds.

That’s the sort of run that convinces Wenger his team is better than Alex Ferguson’s. “We are still the best team in England,” he said. “We’ve scored more goals than anyone in England and we’ve been the best team since Christmas. Only at the end of the season, when you see who is first in the championship, can you say who’s the best team in England. And I believe it will be us.”

Chelsea, which has former Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit in midfield, has climbed steadily to sixth place in the Premier League standings and, at one stage, was chasing the fourth spot for next season’s Champions Cup.

That might not be the same rapid progress as Arsenal’s. But it has pleased Ranieri, who moved to the Blues after a successful spell building up current Spanish league leader Valencia.

Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires is sidelined after knee surgery and will also miss the World Cup. But Wenger will field Thierry Henry in attack, probably with Dutch forward Dennis Bergkamp. Sylvain Wiltord and Nigerian star Nwankwo Kanu are likely to be on the bench. The final is likely to be Tony Adams’ last.

The former England captain has hinted several times this is his final season, although he said on Thursday he won’t make a final decision until midsummer.

“I have enjoyed these 19 years on top and I want to go out that way. I don’t want to go on past my sell-by date,” he said. “I will make a decision in June when I am on holiday in the South of France. Winning the double will not influence whether I continue. I love winning things anyway and it would be lovely if we could put a trophy on the sideboard.”