Showing posts with label FA Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FA Cup. Show all posts

Tuesday, 31 January 2017

Arsenal draw Sutton Utd away in 5th round of the FA Cup


Non-league outfit Sutton United have been drawn at home against Premier League giants Arsenal in the fifth round of the FA Cup. 

The lowest-ranked side in the competition continued their dream run with a 1-0 victory over Leeds United on Sunday, a Jamie Collins penalty edging them into the last 16 of the competition. 

Their reward is a tie at Gander Green Lane against the 12-time winners, who share the record for clinching the most FA Cup trophies with Manchester United.

Lincoln City, the other non-league side left in the tournament, have also been given a Premier League opponent in round five, coming up against Burnley - who won the cup in 1914 - at Turf Moor.

None of the top-flight sides have been drawn against each other, and the five top-ranked sides in the competition are all away, meaning that each tie has the possibility of an upset.

Tottenham Hotspur have a London derby as they visit Fulham, Man United are at Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Manchester City are away at Huddersfield Town. 

Finally, Oxford United travel to the Riverside Stadium for a tie against Middlesbrough, while Millwall will host either Derby County or Leicester City.

FA Cup fifth-round draw in full:

Burnley vs. Lincoln City
Fulham vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Blackburn vs. Manchester United
Sutton United vs. Arsenal
Middlesbrough vs. Oxford United
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Chelsea
Huddersfield Town vs. Manchester City
Millwall vs. Derby County/Leicester City

Sunday, 29 January 2017

Arsene Wenger was proud of his "dynamic, explosive" Arsenal


Arsene Wenger has praised his "dynamic and explosive" Arsenal side for thrashing Southampton 5-0 in their FA Cup fourth-round tie at St Mary's Stadium.

Theo Walcott bagged a hat-trick against his former side on Saturday, while Danny Welbeck struck a brace to help the Gunners reach the last 16 of the competition.

Wenger told BT Sport: "We were very dynamic, explosive and overall we had a good consistent performance over 90 minutes and everybody played well.

"Welbeck has been out for such a long time, I didn't expect him to score straight away and it shows the desire is there.

"People say I make changes but I bring in Walcott, Welbeck and Lucas Perez, all top quality players.

After that I try to find the best balance for the team."

Wenger was forced to watch from the stands as he began a four-match touchline ban.

Saturday, 28 January 2017

Ray Parlour is confident of an Arsenal victory in today's game against Southampton


Ray Parlour is confident Arsenal can capitalise on Virgil van Dijk’s injury and beat Southampton in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday evening.

The Gunners were 2-1 winners against Burnley last weekend in dramatic fashion after Alexis Sanchez scored a late winner from the penalty spot following Andre Grey’s added-time equaliser from the spot.

Southampton suffered a blow during the 3-0 win against Leicester City after star defender Van Dijk picked up a serious ankle injury which is set to sideline the centre-half for a few weeks.

The Saints managed to dig deep and book their place in the EFL Cup final, though, easing to a 2-0 aggregate win against Liverpool in the last four.

Indeed, Republic of Ireland international Shane Long scored an added-time winner to seal a 1-0 win at Anfield on Wednesday night.

Speaking to the Alan Brazil Up Front podcast, ex-Arsenal midfielder Parlour claimed that Van Dijk’s absence could prove the difference in the fourth-round clash at St Mary’s on Saturday evening.

“I’m going Arsenal with Virgil van Dijk being out. I’m going Arsenal to win. They’re a good cup team,” Parlour said.

Arsene Wenger has been handed a four-game touchline ban


Arsene Wenger has received a four-game touchline ban from the Football Association.

During added-on time of his side's fixture with Burnley on Sunday afternoon, Wenger was dismissed from the dugout for his reaction to the Clarets being awarded a penalty, before pushing the fourth official as he refused to walk down the tunnel.


Wenger later apologised for his actions but he was soon hit with a misconduct charge from the FA, and it has now been revealed that Wenger will spend four matches in the stands.

It means that Wenger will be absent from the dugout for the games with Southampton, Watford, Chelsea and Hull City, with the Frenchman not due back on the bench until a potential fifth round fixture in the FA Cup.

Wenger has also been handed a fine of £25,000 as a consequence of the incident.

Wednesday, 25 January 2017

Southampton v Arsenal Fourth Round Emirates FA Cup Preview


Arsenal will be looking for a better start than they have made of late in a bid to beat Southampton on their home turf in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday. 

The Gunners needed a last-gasp Alexis Sanchez 'Panenka' penalty to beat Burnley 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday, but have lost Granit Xhaka for as many as four games after the midfielder's second straight red card of the season.

Arsene Wenger's presence at St Mary's is also in doubt, with the manager facing a potential ban after being charged with misconduct by the Football Association after clashing with fourth official Anthony Taylor.

Wenger could face a lengthy spell on the sidelines, and Claude Puel's Saints will want to exploit the slow starts made by the Gunners in recent weeks in a bid to reach the next stage of the competition.

TEAM NEWS 

Arsenal will be without Granit Xhaka following his red card against Burnley, with the Gunners unlikely to appeal the midfielder's dismissal. 

While the Swiss international is out along with the injured Santi Cazorla, Wenger was boosted by Francis Coquelin's return in last weekend's win against the Clarets.

Hector Bellerin also returned off the bench in the same game, and could start to give the Gunners more width and pace than Gabriel has been offering on the right flank.

Danny Welbeck is pushing for his first start since returning from a long-term knee injury, while Kieran Gibbs may also be handed a role on the left flank should Wenger decide to rest the likes of Nacho Monreal and Olivier Giroud.

Theo Walcott (calf), Mathieu Debuchy (hamstring) and Per Mertesacker (knee) are all expected to remain sidelined until the end of the month. 

Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk is a slight doubt with an ankle injury, as are Sofiane Boufal (knee) and Steven Davis (knock).

Charlie Austin remains out until April with a shoulder injury.

POSSIBLE LINE-UPS 

Southampton: Forster, Soares, Yoshida, Van Dijk, Bertrand, Hojbjerg, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Redmond, Rodriguez, Tadic 

Arsenal: Ospina: Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Gibbs; Ramsey, Coquelin; Iwobi, Ozil, Sanchez; Welbeck