FA Cup: Arsenal V Huddersfield Town – Sunday, 30th January

 

Arsenal V Huddersfield Town

Sunday, 30th January – 12:00 (GMT)
Venue: Emirates Stadium

 

Arsenal

Underestimate the power of the FA Cup and it’s love for the underdog at your peril, Mr Wenger. He does it every season but refuses to learn his lesson, Arsene Wenger almost paid the penalty in the previous round, quite literally, when resting a host of key players for what should have been a straightforward tie with Leeds United. In the end, Arsenal required an extra 90 minutes to see off lower league opposition in the Third Round and confirm their place in the Fourth Round, but despite their near run-in with an early exit, Wenger is expected to have a tinker with his team sheet once again ahead of Sunday’s arrival of Huddersfield Town.

Is it any wonder that Arsenal have won the FA Cup just once in the past seven seasons when their French tactician continues to belittle opponents in naming weakened XI’s? The Premiership and Champions League have always found their way above the FA Cup on Wenger’s list of priorities, which helps to understand why the Gunners have enjoyed very little success in this competition over recent years – Their 2004/2005 triumph, beating Manchester United on penalties, is actually their only final appearance in seven years. But the small matter that Arsenal haven’t won a single Champions League under Wenger, and celebrated no success in the league since 2004, means Wenger is defenceless when it comes to the media criticising his rotation policy relating to the FA Cup.

Nevertheless, because of the amount of depth to his squad, you still expect Arsene’s Gunners to have enough in reserve to easily fend off the early banana skins, so to see them struggling against Leeds in the previous round – Cesc Fabregas scoring a 90th minute penalty to take the tie to a replay, which Arsenal won convincingly 3-1 – really was a surprise, as well as perhaps cause for concern.

Regardless of the team Wenger opts to start with on Sunday, there shouldn’t be any shortage of confidence, or momentum for the players to cling onto, following their midweek success in the Carling Cup. Granted they took a while to get going, but Arsenal’s 3-0 victory at the Emirates helped overhaul an aggregate deficit of one goal against Ipswich Town in the Semi-Final meaning the Gunners now have a golden opportunity to end a barren spell of six years without a trophy next month when they tackle Birmingham City at Wembley.

Arsene Wenger made numerous changes to his starting XI for their midweek clash with Ipswich in the Carling Cup, though the fact Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie both started means in all probability neither will start on Sunday against Huddersfield.  So expect the likes of Kieran Gibbs, Alex Song, Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott and Marouane Chamkah to walk into a side which has won its last four games in all competitons, with an aggregate score of 12-1, and hasn’t tasted defeat on home soil since Tottenham stunned them to win 3-2 way back in November.

Team News: Manuel Almunia should return to contention and could replace Szczesny between the sticks, especially as LIndiaasz Fabianksi remains on the sidelines with a shoulder injury. Bacary Sagna is unlikely to feature after suffering concussion during the week against Ipswich, while fellow defenders Sebastien Squillaci and Thomas Vermaelen are both still unavailable. Thomas Rosicky should return following illness, however Abou Diaby is still a massive doubt with a calf problem.

 

Huddersfield Town

You win your earlier ties and you grab yourself an FA Cup lottery ticket. One of the winners in the Fourth Round were League One’s Huddersfield Town, the Terriers rewarded for their professionalism in clashes with lesser folk with a glamour tie with arguably the country’s most exhilarating team, Arsenal.

Its a tie the small clubs can only dream about, a money-spinner for some, and Huddersfield are no exception. The Terriers, while they may be on course for another promotion challenge, are still no nearer to even challenging for promotion back to the top-flight, so such rendezvous with the some of the country’s finest football talents, albeit as brief as they are, still bring with them a wealth of excitement, for players and fans alike.

Few managers impress me in the lower league as much as Huddersfield’s Lee Clark. The 38-year old doesn’t exactly have an abundance of experience in management, at least not from a front-line perspective. In fact, Clark has only managed one club, Huddersfield. However he has a wise head on his shoulder for such young shoulders, in management years that is; a straight-talking character who doesn’t accept any nonsense. So while Sunday’s trip to the Emirates provides both the club and some of its players with a once in a lifetime opportunity to saviour a unique experience, as well as advertise their talents in front of a live audience, in arguably the most spectacular stadium in England bar Wembley, don’t expect for one minute that Huddersfield have allowed themselves to be swallowed whole by all the hysteria surrounding their Fourth Round tie with Arsenal.

No-one is doubting the mammoth task which awaits them in London, however the sheer sight of Leeds United causing Arsenal problems in the previous round will have given Huddersfield plenty of positive food for thought, the Terriers drawing home and away with Leeds last season in League One. They are a team which like to score goals, having done so in plentiful supply for the past three seasons, albeit against far inferior opposition to that of which they face on Sunday, and when you have sources of goal nutrition from all over the park – Jamie McCombe (Defender: 5 Goals), Gary Roberts (Midfielder: 4 Goals), Anthony Pilkington (Midfielder: 8 Goals) & Jordan Rhodes (Forward: 10 Goals) – you’re always in with an outside chance of causing an upset.

 

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2010/2011 FA Cup Results

Arsenal

Third Round: Arsenal 1-1 Leeds United
Third Round Replay: Leeds United 1-3 Arsenal

Huddersfield Town

First Round: Cambridge United 0-0 Huddersfield Town
First Round: Huddersfield Town 2-1 Cambridge United
Second Round: Huddersfield Town 6-0 Macclesfield Town
Third Round: Huddersfield Town 2-0 Dover Athletic

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Pointers

Arsenal

- Arsenal have struggled against lower league opposition in the domestic cups this season, drawing with Leeds United in the Third Round of the FA Cup before winning the replay 3-1 at Elland Road, while they were beaten by Ipswich Town in the first leg of their Carling Cup Semi-Final before eventually overpowering the Championship side 3-0 back at the Emirates.

- A 1-0 reverse away at Ipswich in the Carling Cup Semi-Final remains Arsenal’s solitary defeat in their last ten matches (7 League, 2 FA Cup & 1 Carling Cup).

- The Gunners have won their last four games (2 League, 1 FA Cup & 1 Carling Cup), scoring exactly 3 goals in all four.

- Just one of Arsenal’s last eight matches has ended with both teams on the score-sheet.

- Arsenal haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last six FA Cup ties, ranging back to March 2009.

- Robin Van Persie has five goals in his last two starts.

 

Huddersfield Town

- Huddersfield have shipped 12 goals in their last 4 away games, all against League One opposition.

- The Terriers have lost just one of their previous seven competitive matches.

- Have conceded just one goal in four FA Cup clashes this season, progressin to the Fourth-Round with an aggregate score of 10-1.

- Gary Roberts, midfielder, has scored in each of Huddersfield’s last three FA Cup games.

 

Head-to-Head

- The Gunners have won the previous two clashes with Huddersfield in the FA Cup, both without conceding: 1931/32 – Arsenal 2-0 Huddersfield & 1929/30 – Huddersfield 0-1 Arsenal.

- Huddersfield last celebrated victory over Arsenal back in 1971, Arsenal winning five of the seven meetings since.

- Arsenal have scored exactly one goal in four of their last five home games with Huddersfield.

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Match Prediction: Arsenal to WIN – 1.14 WilliamHill

Huddersfield manager Lee Clark was extremely honest and open about his side’s chances of recording what would go down as arguably the greatest shock in the competition’s history should the Terriers clinch victory at the Emirates. As he said, it would take an exceptional display from his team and an off-day from Arsenal just for the League One outfit to stand any sort of chance. Asking a lot? Just a little.

I wouldn’t necessarily write off Huddersfield’s chances of making this a competitive encounter though, especially with the way Arsenal have made such hard work of their cup commitments this season – struggling to qualify for the Champions League knock-outs, coming from behind to secure their place in the final of the Carling Cup after a first leg defeat to Ipswich, while they needed a second chance in order to dispatch Leeds in their Third Round tie. Unconvincing? Just a little.

At the odds, I wouldn’t recommend the Gunners. Arsene Wenger will ring the changes and although his fringe players should still have far too much class and panache for their lower league visitors, I’m still failing to spot any value. With that said, I can’t see Arsenal slipping up for the second successive round. A spirited performance is to be expected from Huddersfield, however anything less than a routine win for the hosts, Arsenal, would be a massive turn up for the books.

Value Bet: Draw/Arsenal (HT/FT Betting) – 5.00 Boylesports

Match Odds:

Arsenal – 1.14 WilliamHill
Draw – 10.00 VictorChandler
Huddersfield Town – 23.00 VictorChandler