Match to be played on 4th January 2014 at 17:15. Venue: Emirates Stadium, North London.
Arsenal will be looking to get another victory over local rivals Tottenham Hotspur following their win against Cardiff City in the Premier League.
The FA Cup is a competition that Arsene Wenger has always shown a lot of respect towards and he should name a strong side despite the Gunners having plenty of injury worries.
Arsenal are going for silverware on multiple fronts this season, which makes this one of the biggest games of the season so far for the club.
Here’s the side Wenger could go with.
GK – Wojciech Szczesny
The Pole is the undoubted number one at the club right now and his performances this season have shown the club have no need to go out and get a replacement. He will be looking to lead from the back.
RB – Bacary Sagna
Sagna is one of the best right-backs in England so it’s no surprise he’s been linked with some high profile European clubs. However, he seems very happy in an Arsenal shirt and looks confident of his role.
CB – Per Mertesacker
Mertesacker guarantees leadership at the back and while he may not be the quickest player around, he organises the back four well and keeps everyone disciplined when the side is under pressure.
CB – Laurent Koscielny
Koscielny has been arguably the best centre back at the club so far this season. He’s got the pace to compensate for Mertesacker and he’s not afraid to take risks around his own penalty area if he feels they’re justified.
LB – Nacho Monreal
With Kieran Gibbs missing with a calf problem, it means another chance for Monreal to play at left-back. He looks like a much better player than the one who first joined the club and is effective at both ends.
RM – Theo Walcott
Walcott has been in fine form ever since he returned to first team action and he scored a great goal against Cardiff with a wonderful finish. He’ll be full of confidence and ready to tear Spurs apart.
DM – Mathieu Flamini
Flamini should patrol that area in front of the defence, which is where he’s been most effective so far this season. He’s a very confident player and loves nothing better than getting stuck in.
CM – Mikel Arteta
Arteta can also play that role well but he’ll start in a slightly more advanced central position. Expect to see him rotating regularly with Flamini as the pair cover for each other throughout the game.
AM – Jack Wilshere
Wilshere can play several roles in the Arsenal midfield but he’ll be pushed up to play in behind the front man. He’s very good at controlling possession in key areas and Arsenal will get the ball to him as quickly as possible.
LM – Santi Cazorla
Cazorla is a very good replacement to have for Mesut Ozil and he doesn’t have any problems playing in behind the main front man off the left hand side. He’ll drift into central positions when there is space for him.
ST – Lukas Podolski
With Olivier Giroud suffering an ankle problem, there should be another chance for the German to play through the middle of the attack. Expect him to be a little sharper than he was against Cardiff.
image: © markusunger
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