FA CUP FINAL
"Final means more without the Big Four!"

I'm really looking forward to this Cup Final, especially because it's between two teams you wouldn't expect to see there.

There'll also be two groups of fans there making memories that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. That's going to guarantee an incredible amount of passion in the stadium. It's going to mean more than it would to the clubs that normally get to the big finals.

Cardiff would have hoped to get through a couple of rounds, draw a big Premier League club, get on the telly, then bow out gracefully after a decent performance. The thing is, they've actually had quite an easy ride: while Barnsley got Liverpool and Chelsea, the only top-flight side Cardiff have played is Boro. The chairman will have been cursing the fact they hadn't got a big side earlier in the draw - but now they've landed the biggest game of the lot!

I know both Harry Redknapp and Dave Jones. They're very different people - Harry's more flamboyant, Dave's more thoughtful - but they'll be the most professional and calmest people at their club in the build-up. They'll both be busy making sure there's no distractions for the players, like people asking for last-minute tickets.

Senior players, like Robbie Fowler, Jimmy Flloyd Hasselbaink and Trevor Sinclair at Cardiff and Sol Campbell and David James at Portsmouth, will have a big part to play in the build-up, too.

They'll be the calming influence on the younger players and will be telling them to make sure they enjoy the moment, as it's over in a flash. I know plenty of people who say that's happened to them.

BIG SAM'S BIG PREDICTION: Both sides will be glad they're not facing one of the Big Four. I can't see anything beyond a Pompey win, but they must play better than they did against West Brom in the semis.

SCOTTISH CUP FINAL
"A shock is possible!"

Queen of the South have got a huge task taking on Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final, but the main thing is they go out and enjoy the game as much as they did when they beat Aberdeen 4-3 in the semi-final.

I played with their manager, Gordon Chisolm, at Sunderland in the 1980s and he's a great guy. After all the stress you have managing a club at that level - you have to keep the club running, let alone worry about results - Chizzie will be loving the build-up.

He'll be telling his players Walter Smith's boys are physically and mentally tired and they won't ever get a better chance to beat them.

The Gers' crazy fixture list means the Rangers players will not be able to stay at their best for the full 90 minutes, so Chizzie will be saying Queen Of The South just need to stay in the game for as long as they possibly can.

BIG SAM'S BIG PREDICTION: A shock's not out of the question. The way Queen Of The South beat Aberdeen in the semi and the fact Rangers will be so tired - they'll have played eight games in 24 days - means the underdogs have a chance. Chizzie: all the best mate!