League One outfit Portsmouth welcome Premier League side Arsenal to Fratton Park on Monday night in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Gunners are the clear favourites heading into this tie, but in-form Pompey will be confident of upsetting the odds in front of an expectant home crowd.
Portsmouth saw off Harrogate Town in the first round before getting the better of Altricham in round two. Kenny Jackett’s side then beat fellow third-tier club Fleetwood before thrashing Championship outfit Barnsley to book their place in the last sixteen.
Pompey’s outstanding form has also seen the club climb up to third in League One. Eight wins in their previous ten league games have seen the south coast side shoot up the table.
However, Portsmouth’s last victory over Arsenal in any competition came all the way back in 1958. Pompey have drawn eight and lost 13 in 21 meetings since then, so they’ll need to be at the top of their game in order to progress into the quarter-finals.
While Portsmouth have made it through four rounds to reach this stage, the Gunners have only played two FA Cup games this season. After narrowly edging Leeds United in the third round, Arsenal beat Bournemouth to reach the fifth round.
The Gunners come into this game on the back of a disappointing Europa League exit at the hands of Olympiacos. Still, that was Arsenal’s first defeat in 2020. Prior to the defat to Olympiacos, Arsenal had won six and drawn four since the turn of the year.
Despite their string of positive results, Mikel Arteta’s mean are still stuck in tenth place in the Premier League table – eight points shy of the top four and ten clear of the relegation zone.
To make matters worse for Portsmouth, Arsenal have progressed from each of their last 12 FA Cup ties against clubs from the third tier or lower.
All focus on Portsmouth.🏆 #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/aCEILWiUcW— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 1, 2020
All focus on Portsmouth.🏆 #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/aCEILWiUcW
Portsmouth have no fresh injury concerns heading into Monday’s clash, so Kenny Jackett is likely to stick with the same starting eleven that beat Rochdale 3-0 last time out.
As for Arsenal, Calum Chambers, Kieran Tierney and Sead Kolosinac are all sidelined, but Southampton loanee Cedric Soares could return following a knee injury.
Portsmouth are likely to put up a fight, but Arsenal’s Premier League quality should be enough to get them over the line.
Forebet predicts that Arsenal will keep a clean sheet on their way to a slender victory.