Arsenal v Lincoln City FA Cup Match Preview


Arsenal will be aiming to avoid a second cup humiliation inside five days when they welcome non-league Lincoln City to the Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup.

A 5-1 reverse at home to Bayern Munich saw the Gunners crash out of the Champions League with a 10-2 scoreline, leaving football's oldest cup competition the only realistic shot at silverware.

Pressure continues to mount on Arsene Wenger amid ongoing speculation over his future and another FA Cup semi-final will ease the negativity, albeit likely only briefly.

Lincoln City are the first non-league team to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals in 103 years, winning away at Premier League outfit Burnley with a last-minute goal. It is the first time in The Imps' 133-year history they have reached this stage of the competition. 

TEAM NEWS 

Arsene Wenger is likely to give a handful of his younger players the chance to impress, with Rob Holding and Jeff Reine-Adelaide starting the fifth-round win over Sutton United.

David Ospina will keep his place in goal while Ainsley Maitland-Niles will be hoping to start, with Mohamed Elneny injured, after a substitute appearance in the last round.

For Lincoln, Alan Power, Nathan Arnold and Matt Rhead all dropped to the bench for the midweek 4-0 win over Braintree and are expected to come back into the team on Saturday.

Loanee striker Lee Angol scored a hat-trick on his debut for The Imps on Tuesday, becoming the first Lincoln player to achieve such a feat in 51 years, but is ineligable to play after featuring in an earlier round for parent club Peterbrough United.

POSSIBLE LINE-UPS

Arsenal: Ospina; Gabriel, Mertesacker, Holding, Gibbs; Xhaka, Reine-Adelaide; Walcott, Iwobi, Maitland-Niles; Perez

Lincoln City: Farman; Wood, Waterfall, Raggett, Habergham; Arnold, Woodyard, Power, Hawkridge; Muldoon, Rhead

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