Arsenal travel to Bramall Lane in order to take on Sheffield United in the FA Cup and the Gunners will be under more pressure than the Blades, that’s according to Michael Owen.
The Gunners picked up a win vs the Saints in the Premier League last week but as per Owen, Mikel Arteta will look at this tournament as a definite shot of winning a silverware while the home side will just be eager to get things back on track.
He wrote for BetVictor: “In many ways, this could be a bigger game for Arsenal than for Sheffield United.
“The blades have had a terrific season so far and any further progress will be the icing on the cake, but with Arsenal hovering around mid-table, it’s been a poor season for them.
“They are a club used to challenging for silverware and with Arteta being an FA Cup winner himself, it would be a major boost for Arsenal if they could collect a trophy this early in the Arteta era.
“The last two meetings in the FA Cup between the sides ended in a draw after 90 mins, with the most recent being a 5th round replay which Arsenal eventually won 4-2 on penalties.
“With both sides failing to replicate their form in the league since the restart, I think this could be heading for another draw and based on the current goalkeeper situation – with Henderson being in good form and Leno being out injured – I fancy the Blades to sneak through on penalties.”
With so many players out injured, the Arsenal boss cannot afford to rotate his whole starting XI meaning a lot of his players will be playing with fatigue.
And this could be a big advantage for Chris Wilder’s men who have seen a massive dip in form ever since the season resumed two weeks back.
Arsenal are also riding on a very similar boat but the win vs Southampton has put some much-needed wind in their sails and Arteta will be hoping that Thursday’s momentum will be enough to carry them through to the next round.
