Cup poser for Arsenal against plucky underdogs

Arsenal will be hoping that major trophies start arriving like the buses which serve their London home. Altogether now, ‘You wait nine years for one to arrive and then two come along at once’.

There is every reason for the Gunners to believe that another open-top tour awaits them this summer, 12 months on from their long-awaited success in the 2014 FA Cup final.

In an intriguing twist of fate, it could be that very same competition which takes them back to the top of the podium.

That may be getting a little ahead of ourselves, as we sit here in early-February, but why not start trying to predict the future?

by  theglobalpanorama 

You don’t need a crystal ball to tell you that Arsenal are well-placed to launch another sustained bid for FA Cup honours, with the path to Wembley starting to open up for them and their ambitious rivals.

Chelsea have gone, humbled by League One giant-killers Bradford City. Manchester City have suffered a similar fate, with Championship underdogs Middlesbrough stunning the reigning Premier League champions in their own backyard.

Having reached the fifth round stage with two major contenders out of the running, and with other top-flight foes hardly inspiring confidence, Arsene Wenger will be placing plenty of emphasis on the successful defence of English football’s oldest prize.

He will, however, be fully aware that negotiating the next hurdle will not be as easy as many predict.

Middlesbrough are due to visit Emirates Stadium on February 15^th and are likely to have another collection of banana skins tucked within their hand luggage.

They will arrive in north London with nothing to fear following their exploits at Etihad Stadium and prepared to take risks in a campaign which will continue to play second fiddle to their promotion push.

It is their exploits in the second tier which will help to focus Wenger’s mind ahead of the clash, with those keeping a close eye on the Championship betting markets at bet365 aware that the North East outfit are now odds-on to re-join English football’s elite in 2015/16.

Aitor Karanka’s men have built their success on a resolute defence – the best in their division – but they have not been as productive going forward.

That would appear to point to the fact that an early goal will be the order of the day for Arsenal, allowing them to ease off slightly and prioritise a clean sheet.

Wenger should have enough at his disposal to get the job done, but so should Manuel Pellegrini.

The poser he will face on Valentine’s weekend is whether to shuffle his pack, potentially depleting his starting XI, or stick with his tried and tested and remove as much of the risk factor as possible.

The side he selected in the previous round, away at Brighton, suggests that he will go with the latter – although the fallout from an eagerly-anticipated north London derby this weekend and a midweek meeting with Leicester City will influence his thoughts.

What is clear, though, is that everyone connected with Arsenal will be hoping to jump back on one of those silver-lined buses come May 30 and make the short journey across north London from N7 to HA9.