Arsenal begin a series of four consecutive away days on Sunday morning when they begin their 2025/26 FA Cup campaign, traveling to face Championship side Portsmouth in the third round of England’s most celebrated cup competition.
Despite being the record holders for FA Cup titles, the Gunners have endured a frustrating drought since last lifting the trophy in 2020, failing to advance past the fourth round in each campaign since. Last season’s run ended in particularly frustrating fashion when they
failed to capitalize against a 10 man Manchester United, losing on penalties at the Emirates in the third round.
After several years of kick starting their cup campaign wearing all white kits as part of the No More Red movement to raise awareness about knife violence in London, the club has opted to forego the recent tradition and will don one of their usual kits for their visit to Fratton Park. At the very least, the campaign has been a very cool piece of advocacy by the club for their community. Whether you believe the white kits are cursed after having lost three of the four matches where they have worn it, a return to the status quo isn’t all that bad.
The next four matches aren’t just opportunities for rotation and to chase much-needed silverware, but they are also a part of a historic run. The Gunners will become the first ever English side to play four consecutive away matches in four different competitions. History is well and good, but wins are even better. Can they shake off recent FA cup failures with a confidence-inspiring performance?
Here are three talking points ahead of Sunday’s match:
Know the Enemy
Portsmouth enter Sunday’s cup tie sitting in 21st place in the Championship.
After spending seven seasons in the Premier league between 2003 and 2010, Pompey bounced around some of the lower leagues before recently earning promotion back to the Championship when they won the League 1 title in the 2023/24 season. Their first season back in England’s 2nd division ended with a 16th place finish, while their current campaign has been underwhelming as they are currently flirting with a drop back into League 1. In their previous 10 matches, they have only managed to notch 3 wins.
11 losses from their first 24 matches have hampered any hopes of vying for a finish in a playoff position, which means that the FA Cup is their best shot at silverware this season after an early Carabao Cup exit against Reading. Like the Gunners, they haven’t had any attacker step up and carry the load of goal scoring, with midfielder Adrian Segecic leading the scoring with 4 goals in league play.
Their roster doesn’t feature many recognizable players, though it does include former Hale End defender Zak Swanson who has 20 appearances this season.
Portsmouth and Arsenal’s past history has seen them face off 77 times since their first meeting in 1927, with the Gunners prevailing 33 times. The last time Portsmouth and the Gunners faced off was in the 5th round of the 2020 FA Cup when the Gunners bested Portsmouth on the road 2-0.
Injuries & Suspensions
Unfortunately, it looks like the Gunners failed to achieve their New Year’s resolution of avoiding new injuries after Piero Hincapie came off in the 2nd half of Thursday’s match with what appears to be a hamstring injury. The defender is set to undergo scans to assess the severity of the injury this week in hopes that it is a strain and nothing more serious.
OUT: Piero Hincapie (hamstring), Cristhian Mosquera (ankle), Riccardo Calafiori (knock)
DOUBTFUL: Kai Havertz (knee)
Predicted Lineup
Attack: Eze, Jesus, Madueke
Another cup, another chance to rotate. Whether Kai Havertz is fit or not, it’s likely Gabriel Jesus is the starter on Sunday. Hopefully, Kai can make the bench and Gyökeres can be left in London after another anonymous performance against Liverpool. On the flanks, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke are exceptional options to supplant the starters, with Noni coming into his own in recent matches.
Midfield: Merino, Nørgaard, Nwaneri
Ethan Nwaneri’s lack of match time has been a minor cause for concern. Though he is still only a teenager, he has seen a significant decrease in minutes with rumors of a transfer being quashed by reports that the club would prefer him to stay and continuing to gain experience with a title contending side. Sunday may be the best opportunity for the Hale End product to showcase his skills and spell Martin Ødegaard. Mikel Merino was left on the bench against Liverpool, so he’s the de facto Declan Rice replacement. Christain Nørgaard has looked adept in his sparse cameos and brings fresh legs and experience to the base of midfield.
Defense: MLS, Gabriel, Saliba, White
The back line is even thinner with Hincapie’s injury, which means that Arteta will have to roll out a familiar back four. Myles Lewis-Skelly had a performance that bordered on shocking against Liverpool and will look to bounce back and find some confidence. Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba anchor the center, with Ben White coming on in Jurrien Timber’s stead.
Keeper: Kepa
Kepa has been quality in the Carabao Cup so far, and Sunday is another opportunity for the Gunners’ #2 to hold down the fort between the sticks with David Raya getting a rest in another domestic cup campaign.
The Gunners have been solid this season across all fronts thanks to drastically improved depth. Recent performances and injuries have taken a little shine off the apple, but this season has seen them consistently find results where they haven’t in past campaigns. After a string of FA Cup failures, Sunday is a chance to keep with this season’s theme of asserting themselves as contenders, no matter the contest. It’s time for the depth to rise to the occassion once again before what is certain to be a physical semifinal clash with Chelsea in the Carabao Cup midweek. With that in mind, the goal for Sunday is simple: get in, control the match, get the result, and stay healthy.
WHO: Arsenal at Portsmouth
WHAT: The FA Cup third round
WHEN: Sunday, January 11th, 9:00am EST/6:00am PST/2:00pm GMT
WHERE: Fratton Park, Portsmouth
HOW TO WATCH: Broadcast live on ESPN2
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