Arsenal hoping for help from FA cup replays by Sam P
Arsenal will have our own FA cup game to worry about soon, with a trip to face an in-form Brighton for a place in the fifth round as the Gunners attempt to defend the FA cup trophy we won at Wembley in May. But for new we can relax after breezing past last season’s beaten finalists Hull in the third round, also avoiding the dreaded replay that no team wants unless you are losing in the final minutes.
Hopefully that unwanted extra game could help Arsenal this week, as three of the clubs just above and below us in the Premier League table do have to play cup replays this week before their EPL games at the weekend. West Ham host Everton tonight and while the Hammers are unlikely to keep up their top four challenge, we cannot write them off as they are just three points below Arsenal right now.
Our north London rivals Tottenham are a point closer to us in the table and after beating Chelsea, they are feeling confident about a top four challenge, so hopefully their cup replay at home to Burnley tomorrow is a bruising encounter that goes all the way to a penalty shoot out, one that the spuds lose of course. And if the hangover from their cup game helps Sunderland to take points off them at the weekend, all the better for Arsenal.
The same can be said of third placed Southampton as the Saints are currently three points ahead of Arsenal and could extend that if they win away at Newcastle on Saturday, so any help that Ipswich Town can give us against them in their cup clash tomorrow would be greatly appreciated by us Gooners. I’m not wishing injuries on anyone (well actually I am) but a little knock or two for the spuds and the Saints would not go amiss.
Then all Arsenal need to do is come away from Man City with all three points on Sunday and it will have been a perfect week. Simples.
Line up for mancity game:
Ospina
Bellerin Kos Per Monreal
Coquelin
Rosicky Cazorla
OX Giroud Sanchez
I’m all for this lineup. Bellerin will step up and Monreal is a better defender than gibbs. Bring Mesut and Theo off the bench in the 2nd half and we’ll have lethal options going forward.
Fact is thats the best lineup we can put up for that game…except ur hoping to lose d game…………like wenger is always clueless and unduely defensive in big games
Sometimes the best defense is exactly attacking. Besides, with the issues we have in our defense every weekend I don’t believe relying on defense will bring us points.
Wenger may be clueless but he is definitely knows more football than almost all the internet. That includes you, the one calling an EPL manager clueless.
Beating man city on sunday wont be a cake walk, but the gunners can achieve a victory at the etihad, if we remain focus take our scoring chances , and our back four keep it tight! Coyg!
dont concede in 1st 30min.
Love for Giroud to pull off another Community Sheild stunner at the Etihad for the game winner…
I just hope wenger keeps faith with david ospina in goal again!
I think when we play Brighton in FA Cup we should rest Sanchez. We play Aston Villa at home a week later. A fortnight rest will do his body good.
Sanchez has played consistently and he is one of the players who gives it everything he has. Works very hard. We can’t lose him to injury
Surely we can beat Brighton with Ozil, Walcott, Ox, Cazorla, Giroud, Welbeck etc.
I would also play Szczesny in FA Cup but keep Ospina in PL.
agree, chesney should be GK for FA cup for forseeable future.
also, maybe walcott should be given 90min at the fa game to build himself up?
also, i’d be disappointed if AW drops caz for ozil: just go with the winning lineup. give ozil 30min.
If Spuds made the Top 4 and we didn’t, I’d consider suicide. It would be too much to bare.
Ha ha Fred. Your too much of a “coward”
Following Arsenal year in year out proves
you are made of sterner stuff 🙂
Its very unfortunate that we have to rely on teams like WestHam and Southampton to have replay in FA cup so that they get tired and drop points, but I agree with you that it is the reality this season.
We are really hit hard with injuries. Next weekend is very critical as I dont think we can get 3 points at Eitihad, so we definitely need our top 4 rivals to drop points.
Their replay is good for us.
Sunny
Spurs have a mountain of games.
Arsenal have League FA cup and ECL.
UTD has League and FA cup
Southampton have League and FA cup reply.
Best off is Westham who have just the league.
West Ham just played FA cup replay last night against Everton and went to penalties (West Ham won)