FA Cup 3rd Round: Blackpool v Arsenal | January 5, 2019 17:30 GMT | BT Sport

[A_G]

Team News:
-Bellerin expected to return
-Monreal still being assessed
-Mustafi expected to be out
-Smith-Rowe still not back

Big questions for the team:
-Is Pleggy fit to partner Kos
-Can Saka play LW
-Who's going to replace Lacazette after an hour

 

[Dennis_Bergkamp_10]

Hope we don't rotate too much. We have something like a week off after this and should we **** this up Arsenal style the **** will really hit the fan. People are already turning against Emery.

Maybe we can start one of our exiting loanees.

 

[CJJ]

I want to see:
Willock and Nketiah. Saka to come on later.

Other than that i think Torreira should be spared. He's been looking jaded lately.

 

[berric]

I would like to see Mavropanos get a start if he is fit. Shame since this would be a game that Smith-Rowe would excel in, but he too is injured.
No doubt one of Özil or Ramsey will start. Maybe Elneny too (if we don't sell).

We have to win this to continue building a new momentum after the shambles of December.

 

[Ricardinho]

Eddie
Saka Özil Ramsey
Xhaka Elnenny
Lichsteiner Mavro Koscielny Bellerin
Cech

 

[HBL]

This line up is basically impossible to predict, there are so many different things Emery could do. Wouldn't bother playing Torreira or Bellerin, also wouldn't surprise me if Özil and Auba turn up to play against Blackpool away

I think Nketiah, Saka, Willock and Medley will all be in the squad. Will Mavropanos/Smith-Rowe be back in time? Will Elneny/Jenkinson get rare appearances?

If I had to guess:

Lacazette
Saka - Ramsey - Nketiah/AMN
Elneny - Guendouzi
Monreal - Mavro/Sokratis - Kosc - Lich
Cech
​

If anyone gets more than 8 of the line up right they deserve a medal.

 

[squallman]

Does it feel to anyone else that we've had less rest over the Christmas break compared to other teams?

We played Liverpool Sunday then had a game Tuesday and now the cup on Saturday.

Pool on the other hand play tomorrow and then their cup game is Monday. City have a similar schedule

 

[krengon]

Does it feel to anyone else that we've had less rest over the Christmas break compared to other teams?

Liverpool and City got the best schedule..

 

[OnlyOne]

Another cup I genuinely do not care about, tbh. I like the line up in the OP but I'd swap Torreira for either Ramsey or Willock and take Lacazette out for Iwobi and stick him at 10 or something. Seriously need our first team players to rest.

 

[pikey2000]

Do we seriously not have any youth / reserve talent in the LB position? Would rather give them some time than see Lich at LB again.

I'd go;

====Laca====Nketieh====
=
Saka==Douzi==Willock=AMN
=
u23 guy==Kos===Mavro=Lich

=========Cech=========

Blackpool aren't in great form, not won in last 5 games, despite us not having a game for another 7 days after this fixture i'd still like to see us rest as many as possible, its been a busy xmas, we have plenty of injuries already and the EL means we still have stacks of games left to play this season (hopefully)

 

[El Duderino]

As long as we don't have to play our best team a la Sp*rs in he Carabao, I'm up for it.


Feels like we could rest around 6-7 players here.

 

[MikeVinna]

Cech

Lichtsteiner Koscielny Medley Maitland-Niles

Elneny Guendouzi

Saka Ramsey Iwobi

Nketiah

Bench: Martinez, Mavropanos, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Willock, Özil, Lacazette​

 

[MutableEarth]

Line-up I want to see:

Cech
Bellerin Mavropanos Sokratis Monreal
AMN Willock
Nketiah Iwobi Saka
Auba/Laca

 

[Dennis_Bergkamp_10]

Two people actually voted for a loss so we have a better shot at top four

 

[Sniper Mik]

Need to get Bellerin up to full fitness ASAP so we can take some of the creative burden off Kolasinac.

 

[rich 1990]

Another opportunity for our young players to prove how crap they are.

 

[squallman]

Two people actually voted for a loss so we have a better shot at top four

We've learned absolutely nothing from the trophy drought I see. Back then it was throwing away the cups to win the league (which we didn't). Now its lose so that we can make top 4 (which we might not).

Surely everyone knows better by now? We used to crash out of Europe and the FA Cup in Feb/March then still look tired and jaded in the league while we lost and drew games left and right.

Personally, I want the club to win as many trophies as possible every season. I'm sure everyone here remembers Ramsey's two cup final winners more fondly than they remember the time we beat Newcastle/West Brom on the final day to finish 4th/3rd.

 

[Mark Tobias]

We used to crash out of Europe and the FA Cup in Feb/March then still look tired and jaded in the league while we lost and drew games left and right.

That's a blatant lie. We almost always picked back up then and somehow closed gaps of like 12 points to squeeze into 4th. Our worst patches are usually November and December. At least under Wenger that was the trend. Last two seasons aside of course.

 

[squallman]

That's a blatant lie. We almost always picked back up then and somehow closed gaps of like 12 points to squeeze into 4th. Our worst patches are usually November and December. At least under Wenger that was the trend. Last two seasons aside of course.

Did we?

2008-09, Only one win from 3 after United knocked us out but it was the semis
2009-10 Only one league win after Barcelona knocked us out
2010-11, Only two wins after we got knocked out by Barcelona
2011-12, AC Milan knocked us out but before that we had great wins against Sp**s and Liverpool. After that we had 6 wins out of 11, most of that good run came before that Milan loss.
2012-13, Won all of our games bar two after Bayern
2013-14 Again knocked out then we had 1 win in our next 5 games before ending the season strongly
2014-15, Monaco debacle. Won our next 3 games then only won 2 of the next 6
2015-16, I really don't need to go over this

So if we discount 08/09 that leaves us with one season (12/13) where we definitively finished strongly, then 11/12 and 13/14 kind of but no we didn't almost always bounce back.

 

[Furious]

Another opportunity for our young players to prove how crap they are.

@MutableEarth