Arsenal will be without midfielder Jack Wilshere after he fractured his foot during Englands friendly with Denmark. Manager Arsene Wenger said he has a little doubt about the fitness of centre-back Laurent Koscielny, while Aaron Ramsey and Kim Kallstrom remain sidelined but could return next week. Everton captain Phil Jagielka is a major doubt with a hamstring injury. But fellow defender Antolin Alcaraz is ready to return after six games out with a muscle problem. Arsenal lost 1-0 at Stoke in the Premier League last weekend and Wenger is hopeful his side can bounce back quickly as they attempt to win a first trophy since 2005. It [the FA Cup] is one of the priorities, said Wenger, whose side are third in the Premier League and were beaten 2-0 by Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. We had a disappointing result at Stoke and it is very important to come back with a strong response. The FA Cup is our absolute priority, just because it is our next game. Everton manager Roberto Martinez, whose side drew 1-1 at Emirates Stadium in the league in December, believes this could be a particularly bad time to play the Gunners. Its going to be a fascinating game from every angle you want to look into, Martinez told Evertons official website. (external) We all know Arsenal have been an outstanding team for many years now and this season, apart from the setback they had at the weekend, theyve been very, very consistent. Playing at home is a major factor for them and theyre going to try to take advantage of that and bounce back from the weekend. If you wanted to find a bad time to play them, now is probably the moment. The fixture in December gave us all a clear indication of whats needed if you want to be successful at the Emirates, and I think its reaching that level of perfection to which we aspire. Match facts Top Arsenal and Everton have only met three times before in the FA Cup, the most recent in 1981. The Toffees have won twice (1910 & 1981) and Arsenal once (1928). Everton have won none of their past 19 away games against Arsenal in all competitions (W0 D4 L15), but have drawn the past two visits. Roberto Martinez was coach of the Wigan Athletic side that won the FA Cup last season. His sides victory came three days before being relegated from the Premier League with a defeat at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal are unbeaten at home in their past 13 matches in domestic competitions, winning 10 and drawing three. The Gunners have conceded just three goals in their past 13 domestic games at Emirates Stadium, but Everton were one of those scorers in a 1-1 draw in the Premier League in December. Mesut Ozils most recent goal for Arsenal came in the 1-1 draw against Everton on 8 December. Arsenal have lost only two home FA Cup ties under Arsene Wenger in 39 matches (W27 D10 L2); against Leeds in round four in 1997 and versus Blackburn last season in the fifth round. Lukas Podolski has scored four goals in four FA Cup appearances for the Gunners. Everton have won only one of their past 10 FA Cup matches away from home against a fellow top-flight team (W1 D4 L5). Steven Naismith has scored three goals in his past two FA Cup appearances. The last team to beat Everton in an FA Cup match were Wigan Athletic - managed by Martinez - in last seasons quarter-finals.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 21:51:43 +0000
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