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Will Arsenal be able to put away Gutsy Aston Villa in the FA Cup?

Samrin Hasib, January 28 2012,
Aston Villa and Arsenal have had memorable battles in the Premier League in recent memory. Will their FA Cup meeting turn out to be one which fans reminisce about as well?
Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal
Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal
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Arsenal has lost three games on the trot in the Premier League. Their last win however did come in this competition against Leeds. That day, Arsenal won by a single goal scored by none other than their legendary striker Thierry Henry, the club’s highest scorer of all time. Robin Van Persie didn’t feature in that match in order to allow him to rest his weary feet.

Aston Villa has had a good run since they lost, 1-2, against Arsenal in Birmingham. They have lost just one match and have even beaten Chelsea. The game in Birmingham between Arsenal and Villa for long spells looked to be heading towards a draw; Yossi Benayoun came on from the substitutes’ bench and scored with a header to secure the win for the Gunners.

Villa’s coach Alex McLeish provides horrible memories for Wenger’s side. The former Birmingham manager led his side to a Carling Cup win over Arsenal last season on a day that Arsenal, as far as their fans were concerned, was supposed to end a six-year barren run.

Unfortunately and somewhat predictably, Arsenal gave it all away thanks to a defensive error that allowed Obafemi Martins to score one of the most comical goals in Carling Cup history. Wenger and Arsenal somewhat mentally broke down that day and their contention in four competitions came to an end following that final.

Yet, Wenger remained as indignant as ever. The French-man suffered utter humiliation at the hands of Sir Alex’s team this season before finally deciding to sign players. How many of those players are going to make it for tomorrow’s match is questionable. As far as good news is concerned, Francis Coquelin is back for this match.

Bacary Sagna will make a long awaited return to the pitch if he passes a fitness test on Saturday. Thierry Henry and Mikel Arteta also face examinations ahead of the game but Wenger is genuinely hopeful that they will be prepared to face the side from Birmingham on Sunday.

Arsenal’s form at the moment is poor. They miss Gervinho. Johan Djorou has proved to be a disastrous excuse for a wing-back; he belongs in the centre of defence. Robin Van Persie is still scoring goals but nobody else really seems to be able to get on the score-sheet. Theo Walcott performed extremely poorly against United as did Andrei Arshavin, who actually suffered the wrath of the Arsenal fans upon his entry on the pitch.

Arsene Wenger, however, can rely on the fact that he has a great record in the FA Cup. Arsenal was unbeaten in the competition from 2001 till 2004, a span of 18 matches. Yet, Wenger does not feel that this competition is as important as the Premier League. According to him, he would prefer to finish fourth in the league rather than win the FA Cup.

However, he also said the following: "I love the FA Cup, I think it's a top-level competition and I will always fight to win it. I have won it four times, lost one Final and, as for Semi-Finals, I don't know (the number).”

Let’s hope tomorrow provides another breath-taking match between these two clubs.

Arsenal vs Aston Villa

Date: Sunday, 29 Jan 2012
Time: 11:00 ( US/Eastern )
Competition: England FA Cup
Live/Repeat: Live
Venue: Emirates Stadium (London)

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