Arsenal return to the Emirates on Sunday for an FA Cup fourth round tie against League One side Wigan Athletic as the Gunners look to raise their first FA Cup since 2020.
Arsenal’s season has hit a few
bumps along the way in recent weeks, and Thursday delivered a frustrating gut check in their Premier League campaign after playing to an uninspired 1-1 draw against a highly-motivated Brentford. The result saw the gap between the Gunners and Manchester City whittle down to four points just as Pep’s side begins to pick up steam. It’s a movie we’ve seen before, and hopefully one where the ending is finally different this time around.
Sunday gives the Gunners a needed breather as they return home to host Wigan Athletic in the 4th round of the FA Cup. Cup competitions have been the Gunners’ bread and butter so far this season. A perfect record in the Champions League league phase and a spot in the Carabao Cup final have been fitting rewards for exceptional showings in those respective competitions. The FA Cup has only just gotten started, but Mikel Arteta’s side made relatively light work of Portsmouth in the 3rd round, bouncing back from conceding an early goal to pin back the hosts 4-1.
Wigan Athletic now come to town for a 4th round tilt that heavily favors the hosts. The Premier League and Champions League’s top side versus a League One candidate floundering near the bottom of the table paints as one-sided a match up as could be imagined at this stage of the competition. With a midweek PL tie followed by a massive North London Derby next weekend, can the Gunners keep their focus and bounce back from Thursday’s draw to take care of business, stay healthy, and punch their ticket to the next round without incident?
Here are three talking points ahead of Sunday’s match:
Know the Enemy
Wigan Athletic enter Sunday’s FA Cup tie currently in 19th place in League One with 31 points from a record of 7W/10D/13L.
The Latics are having a pretty awful go of it, which has been the case for quite a while. After 8 seasons in the Premier League between 2005-2013, they have yo-yoed between the Championship and League One. This season looks likely to end with them relegated back to League Two for the first time since 2003 as they sit 18th in the League One table.
Their final season in the Prem was fairly memorable, as they became a Pub trivia question as the only club to win the FA Cup and get relegated in the same season. Their 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the final stands as their only top flight silverware. As much as they’d love to make history as the first League One side to win it, the odds are simply not in their favor.
Their current form has only seen them win one match from nine played this calendar year, which was when they defeated Preston North End 1-0 in the third round of the FA Cup. They are on a four match losing streak, and now will look to turn their tides with a trip to the top side in England’s top flight. Can it happen? Sure. Anything is possible. Will it? Well, that is a different story altogether.
At least one name on the Wigan squad should be familiar to Arsenal fans as former Hale Ender and FA Cup winner Matt Smith features in the midfield for the Latics.
Injuries & Suspensions
Arsenal enjoyed full-squad fitness for approximately one week before the universe course corrected, hard. Mikel Merino’s surgery for a stress fracture was followed by news on Wednesday that Kai Havertz had suffered a muscular injury and would be out until at least the North London Derby. Then, Martin Ødegaard took a nasty knock to the knee against Brentford and was seen limping heavily after the match which likely rules him out for at least Sunday. Very cool and not at all concerning!
William Saliba was out with an illness and will probably be rested on Sunday for fitness’ sake. Bukayo Saka returned ahead of schedule but looked far from his usual self, which may indicate further rest.
OUT: Mikel Merino (foot), Kai Havertz (muscular), Martin Ødegaard
DOUBTFUL: William Saliba (illness)
Predicted Lineup
Attack: Martinelli, Jesus, Madueke
The attack could use a little success following a lackluster display at Brentford on Thursday. A few of the same old issues crept back in as the Gunners were wasteful with their limited chances. Gabriel Martinelli was a prime culprit after taking an extra touch with just the keeper to beat with a chance to put the game to bed. Noni Madueke got his second PL goal, but that masked an otherwise uninspiring day. A bounce-back performance for both will do some good. Gabriel Jesus was an unused sub and should come in with fresh legs. Expect a few academy names to make the bench and possibly see the pitch should the match play out as expected.
Midfield: Rice, Nørgaard, Eze
Following the injuries to Mikel Merino, Kai Havertz, and Martin Ødegaard, Arsenal’s midfield depth has taken a brutal hit this week. Because of that, at least one of the usual starters is likely to feature, and my money is on Declan Rice. I can’t imagine Arteta would start getting too experimental in the middle of the park by placing someone like MLS in the midfield for this match, so Rice is the safe bet. Christian Nørgaard has looked quality in his cup minutes and slots into the 6. Ebere Eze gets more time at the 10, which is likely to be the case for the indeterminable future. The sooner he finds his confidence, the better.
Defense: Lewis-Skelly, Hincapie, Mosquera, White
Expect wholesale changes at the back. Myles Lewis-Skelly hasn’t seen many minutes, but Sunday is as good a time as any for him to start. Hincapie and Mosquera together in the middle is a rare sight, but both were quite good on Thursday. Ben White could have, and maybe should have, started on Thursday night, but he is a shoe-in for Sunday. Marli Salmon should certainly see some match time as this one wears on, too.
Keeper: Kepa
Kepa has been more involved lately, which is a good thing. More minutes for the backups means more rest for the starters. He’s done everything expected of him and his performances have instilled a lot of confidence.
The cups have runneth over for Arsenal, especially regarding favorable draws. A League One side at home in the 4th round is far more welcome than recent seasons where Arsenal faced PL sides as well as early exits. There isn’t a better chance to punch their ticket into the 5th round for the first time in 5 seasons, and Arteta’s side are more than equipped to take this match by the reins early, take care of business, and rotate heavily ahead of two league matches in the upcoming week.
WHO: Arsenal vs Wigan Athletic
WHAT: FA Cup 4th Round
WHEN: Sunday, February 15th, 11:30am EST/8:30am PST/4:30pm GMT
WHERE: The Emirates Stadium, London
HOW TO WATCH: Streaming on ESPN+
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