Arsenal will look to keep their quadruple hopes alive as they welcome 2013 winners Wigan Athletic to the Emirates on Sunday afternoon in their fourth-round FA Cup tie.
Arsenal saw their two-game winning run in the Premier League come to an end on Thursday night, as they were held to a 1-1 draw in West London against in-form Brentford.
That draw, coupled with Manchester City’s 3-0 success at home to Fulham, has seen the Gunners’ lead at the top of the Premier League table cut to four points.
Mikel Arteta’s hosts also played lower league opposition in the previous round of this competition, as they won 1-4 at Fratton Park against Championship strugglers Portsmouth.
Wigan also knocked out Championship opposition away from home in the previous round, as they surprisingly won 0-1 at Preston North End.
That result is in contrast to their league form over the past couple of months, with the Latics failing to win any of their last eight (W0-D2-L6) and just one of their past 12 league encounters (W1-D3-L8), leaving them inside the League One relegation zone, two points adrift of safety.
How the bookies view it: Arsenal clear favourites
Given the disparity between these two clubs, it comes as no surprise that Arsenal are incredibly short-priced favourites to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup, with bet365 pricing them at just 1/40 To Qualify, whilst the win inside 90 minutes isn't much better at 1/20.
Manager-less Wigan are a massive 16/1 just to qualify, whilst the win inside regulation time is 20/1.
Head to head: Gunners dominance
Since Wigan Athletic’s promotion to the Premier League back in 2005, these two clubs have met on 21 occasions, with Arsenal winning 16 of those encounters (W16-D2-L3).
The last of those came in 2014, when the Gunners required penalties to defeat the Latics in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Players to watch: More Martinelli magic in the cup?
Gabriel Martinelli has scored 10 goals for Arsenal this season, with nine of those coming in cup competitions.
The Brazilian scored a hat trick in the previous round against Portsmouth, and the 13/10 on offer at bet365 for him to score on Sunday appeals to me.
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Predicted line-ups:
Mikel Arteta will be without the injured Max Dowman and Mikel Merino, whilst many of their big-hitters will likely be rested.
Wigan will be missing the injured Baba Adeeko, Luke Robinson and Harry McHugh.
Arsenal: Kepa, White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Rice, Eze, Madueke, Martinelli, Jesus
Wigan Athletic: Tickle, Aimson, Kerr, Fox, Hunt, Smith, Weir, Murray, Bettoni, Wright, Saydee
Anything else catch the eye?
Arsenal will likely rotate heavily here, but they should still prove to be far too strong for their struggling visitors.
With the Gunners incredibly short to back, finding value is tough, with an Arsenal Win to Nil paying just 1/2.
Arsenal -3.0 Asian Handicap pays 17/20 at bet365, giving us the safety blanket of getting our stake back should Mikel Arteta’s men only win by a three-goal margin.
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