Corinthians and Peel go head-to-head for the first major silverware of the 2017-18 season on Saturday afternoon at the Bowl.

With the Railway Cup still yet to be played, anticipation levels around the weekend’s finale of the Friends Provident FA Cup have been heightened.

Adding further intrigue to the mix is the sides’ recent results, in particular Corinthians’.

Danny McMahon’s Whites have had a tough run of fixtures over the last couple of weeks, but had negotiated these tests impressively up until a couple of days ago.

DHSOB and Rushen were both beaten in the league, with clean sheets to boot, before St George’s were defeated 2-1 in a dramatic FA semi-final on Saturday.

Corinthians seemed to be hitting top form just at the right time until Tuesday evening that is when Rushen won 4-1 at Ballafletcher to inflict a sizeable blow to the Whites’ top-flight title ambitions.

A biggest defeat of the campaign is not the best way to approach your first FA Cup since 2002.

Corinthians’ recent form, up to Tuesday, had arugably made them marginal favourites for the final. Now, however, they will be underdogs against a more streetwise Peel team.

Unlike the Whites, the westerners have recent final experience, appearing in the last two FA Cup finals and winning in 2016. Steve Falconer’s charges have also made it to the last two of the Railway and Hospital cups in recent campaigns.

The westerners are also something of a bogey team for Corinthians. The Ballafletcher outfit have not beaten Peel in any first-team match since September 2002 when Craig Lunt scored twice in a 2-1 win.

This run includes the pair’s sole league meeting this season, Peel inflicting Corinthians maiden defeat of the season in a 3-2 win at the Bowl back in late October.

Falconer’s men look to be at almost full strength for the tie, with goalkeeper Owen Dawson returning to training this week after injury.

He will challenge the versatile Christian Penswick for the number one jersey after the defender kept a clean sheet in the weekend’s slender semi-final triumph over St John’s.

One man that will be missing though is veteran full-back Danny Lace.

He is suspended after being dismissed in the aforementioned semi meaning he can’t continue a run that has seen him an appear in Peel’s last five Association Cup finals stretching back to 1998-99.

Corinthians shuffled their pack a little for Tuesday’s league defeat, but will be hoping to name the line-up that ended St George’s hopes of appearing in a an FA Cup final for a seventh consecutive campaign.

If Corinthians can re-discover their mojo this should be a cracker. Kick off is 3pm.

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