Arsenal face the supposedly small task of defeating lowly Coventry City in the FA Cup in order to pass through the FA Cup’s 4th Round stage.
Having beaten Spurs easily in the last round, Arsene Wenger’s men need only to overcome a City side vying for promotion into League Two following their descent from the Premier League, beginning in 2001.
Since then they have dropped through the Leagues, and this year took a 10 point deduction due to going into administration at the start of the season. They have all but made up for it, taking 34 points from their 26 games.
They’ve since moved to a stadium in Northampton due to their failure to pay the rent in their 33,000 seater Ricoh Arena but their form has improved in the lower league.
They triumphed over Championship Barnsley in the last round, when a last minute Leon Clarke goal gave the Sky Blues victory. That was part of their 6 game unbeaten run which has seen them win 3 and draw 3.
Arsenal are also unbeaten in 7, winning 5 back-to-back in the League.
Team News
Arsene Wenger is likely to rotate and bring in a number of fresh faces for the visit of Coventry, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain likely to make an appearance.
The England winger is likely to return to the side with a weaker opposition proving a less strenuous task on the 20-year-old’s recovering injury, and begin regaining match-fitness.
Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta are both out, with respective thigh and calf injuries, however with the duo nearing a return the game could be used as an opportunity to give them a cameo ready of a Premier League return.
Thomas Vermaelen could come in for Laurent Koscielny or Per Mertesacker as the centre-half duo have played none-stop this year, and Vermaelen’s knee injury could hold out to give one of them a break.
Nicklas Bendtner is nearing a return from an ankle injury picked up in scoring against Cardiff weeks ago, but Olivier Giroud is likely to be given the nod in the hope that he can play two games in 4 days with a trip to Southampton looming on Tuesday.
Boss Wary of Blues
Once again Arsene Wenger is failing to underestimate the lower-league opposition, and the Frenchman has described how he learnt a lesson from last year’s exit against a Championship side:
"We have to prepare seriously for this game, because we are on a good run and it will be really not welcome at all not to take this game seriously," Wenger said.
"We are still in a moment of our lifetime, this team, where we want to gain respect and through our attitude is the best way to gain respect."
"If you have two or three divisions' difference in basketball or rugby, volleyball or handball, you cannot do it, but in football you can."
Wenger recalled last season's shock fifth-round exit at home to Championship side Blackburn.
He said: "It was the first time in 16 years that we lost against lower league opposition in the FA Cup, so that was a great warning.
"At the moment, this is just our next game and we want to win it."
Possible line-up
Fabianski, Monreal, Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Jenkinson, Flamini, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Zelalem, Gnabry, Podolski
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