8 years, 9 months, 14 days, 2 hours, 48 minutes. This is how long it has been since Arsenal last won a trophy (- at the time of writing!). I think we can all see that a Premier League title challenge is now pretty much out of our hands; Chelsea and Manchester City must both royally screw up, otherwise it looks like we will be fighting Liverpool for 3rd place. The Champions League challenge looks equally unlikely, unless we somehow pull off a stunning come-back in Munich. Yes, we won 2-0 at the Allianz Arena this time last year, but we are struggling with injury problems (no Ramsey, Wilshere, Walcott and maybe Koscielny) and the team does not look to be in a fantastic place at the minute. The frustrating 1-0 loss to Stoke last weekend says it all.
However, win against a resilient Everton team today and we are only one game away from the FA Cup final. If, by some miracle, Manchester City don’t get through to the semis then you have to feel that we are favourites. Even if we have to play Manuel Pellegrini’s all-star team, in the semi’s or the final, you feel that things may just go our way this time. Maybe…
I have to say that playing the semi-finals at Wembley is, in my opinion, a bit unnecessary. It detracts from the grandeur of the Cup Final in my mind. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t go; if we get through today I will definitely be vying for my ticket for the next round. History would appear to be on our side today, as Everton have won none of their past 19 away games against Arsenal in all competitions (W0 D4 L15) and Arsenal have only ever lost two home FA Cup ties under Arsene Wenger in 39 matches.
In terms of team news, Jack Wilshere has been ruled out for 6 weeks with a fracture in his foot and Laurent Koscielny is a major doubt with a hamstring problem. Phil Jagielka faces a late fitness test for the Toffees. For full team news (including quotes from Wenger’s press conference) click here.
Predicted Starting XI
Lukas Fabianski seems to play in cup games, and may even get a few games in a row as he is also playing in the Champions League on Tuesday. Vermaelen is in for the injured Koscielny, while I have also included Oxlade-Chamberlain in central midfield because he has been awesome there this season. Mesut Özil to return to the starting XI after starting from the bench in the last few games.
Predicted Starting XI
Arsenal 2-0 Everton We need a good result to put us back on track as we head into an absolutely horrific run of games. Reach the FA Cup semi’s and the team will go the Munich thinking that we could just get a shock result.
Related posts:
Arsenal vs Manchester United: Özil or Rosicky? (Feb 11, 2014)
Two Gunners nearing exits? Why we must extend Sagna’s contract. (Feb 11, 2014)
Liverpool 5-1 Arsenal: Gunners player ratings… (Feb 9, 2014)
Liverpool vs Arsenal team news: Wilshere, Arteta, Agger, Sahko (Feb 7, 2014)
Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace: Gunners player ratings (Feb 3, 2014)
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