The 5th Round of the FA Cup will draw to a close with a thrilling all-Premier-League clash between Arsenal and Liverpool on Sunday evening.
The two sides, who sit 2nd and 4th in the Premier League respectively, will come together at the Emirates in the hope of securing a spot in the quarter finals of the competition along with Saturday’s victors Sunderland, Wigan and Man City.
The Gunners’ route has seen them hardly break sweat against first Tottenham and then Coventry, wining the latter by 4 goals to nil late last month.
Liverpool have coasted similarly into the 5th round with 2-0 wins against Oldham and then Bournemouth.
The last meeting between the two sides was just last Saturday, when Arsene Wenger’s side were embarrassed 5-1 at Anfield thanks to 4 goals in the opening 20 minutes. Goals from Martin Skrtel, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling made the difference against a lacklustre Arsenal.
This encounter promises to be a much closer affair, with a win meaning they would be another step closer to Wembley.
Team News
Arsene Wenger could make numerous changes for the game in North London, with a Champions League Round of 16 with European Champions Bayern Munich just THREE DAYS afterwards.
Olivier Giroud – the club’s only fit senior striker – could be rested for the game with the Reds ahead of the Bundesliga leaders’ visit but the lack of replacement could be an issue. French summer signing Yaya Sanogo has just returned from injury and could be in line for his first senior start for the club.
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny could also take a break in order to prepare for the German side who have scored 16 goals without reply in their last 4 games.
The meeting with Bayern could mean that first team regulars Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Mikel Arteta could miss out in favour of squad members who are less likely to appear against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Mathieu Flamini is available again after serving his 4 match ban after his red card picked up in the 2-2 draw with Southampton. The defensive midfielder was sent off for a harsh lunge and missed the 3 Premier League games with a record of W1 D1 L1.
Santi Cazorla has an illness which will keep him out of the Cup tie, and so Lukas Podolski could be reinstated to the first eleven.
Payback
Wenger has vowed to make up for the disheartening thrashing at Anfield last week and has claimed he expects much more of his players. He was visibly disappointed with his players after the game, and his post-match interview reflected that –
"It raises questions that we have to answer on Wednesday night. I still think we can win the league because mathematically it is possible." He said at the time.
"It is always what you make of a defeat that decides your future. We have a lot to answer and a lot of answers to find," he added.
However the Frenchman is determined to get it right this time:
Would the Arsenal manager have rather avoided Liverpool, with the scars of last Saturday still so fresh? “No,” he insisted. “I would say that it is the first team we want to play. When you can put things right, you want an opportunity to do that and we have an opportunity.”
“What will decide our end of the season is to focus completely on every single game,” Wenger said. “I believe on that front, the fact that we do not play against a Championship team but against a Premier League team will help a lot.”
Possible XI
Fabianski; Sagna Mertesacker Koscielny Monreal; Arteta Rosicky; Gnabry Podolski Oxlade-Chamberlain; Bendtner
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