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Arsenal and Sunderland meet once again but this time it's in the FA cup. Arsenal beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light just last week in the league thanks to a late goal from Thierry Henry. It was a very tight game that had few chances, James McClean gave Sunderland the lead before Aaron Ramsey leveled the score. Sunderland sat back against Arsenal and allowed them no space to work with. They gave Walcott and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain no space and tried to frustrate the Gunners. Since then, Arsenal have traveled to Italy to take on AC Milan in the Champions League. The Gunners got trashed in the San Siro and are all but out of the Champions League. Arsene Wenger called the performance shocking and also claimed it was their worst ever night in Europe. So getting over that mental scaring will be a problem for Arsenal ahead of the FA Cup clash with Sunderland. Both sides have met in this competition six times over the years. Arsenal have won three of those encounters with Sunderland winning two and the other being a draw. They last met in the Fa cup back in 1997, Arsenal came out on top with a 2-0 win. Sunderland last won the cup back in 1973, they upset Leeds United with a 1-0 win. To this day, Jimmy Montgomery's amazing double save is remembered and it went down as one of the greatest saves ever seen at Wembley. Only Manchester United have won the FA cup more times then the Arsenal. They last won the trophy back in 2005 and they have not won another trophy since. After the horror show in Milan, this competition is the last chance to end that barren spell without a trophy this season.
Steve Bruce became the first man to get sacked in the 2011-12 season and he was in charge of Sunderland 98 times, he won 29 matches, drew 28 and lost 41. He got Sunderland into the top half of the table last season but was not matching that standard in the first half of this season. Having lost forwards such as Darren Bent, Danny Welbeck and Asamoah Gyan for different reasons, it was always going to be a difficult ask for Bruce. Getting beat by Wigan was the low and breaking point chairman Ellis Short and he decided enough was enough and it was time for a change. Martin O'Neill, a boyhood Sunderland fan seemed like the perfect fit and Ellis short felt he was the man needed to change the plight of Sunderland. O'Neill's last job also started really well and he took Villa into Europe and pushed Arsenal for fourth spot in the 08-09 season. But his time at Villa came to an end after he felt like Villa did not match his ambitions.
After arriving at Sunderland, Martin O'Neill gave younger winger, James McClean his chance in the first team. And the youngster has not looked back since. A fast and powerful winger who plays on the left and can beat his man with ease before crossing and finding his target. McClean has shown the ability to chip in with goals. With Bacary Sagna back in the Arsenal side its going to be an interesting battle between an experienced international defender and a raw but supremely talented youngster. Stéphane Sessègnon has been Sunderland's star man this season and he has gone onto another level since the arrival of O'Neill. Sessegnon has always been a highly rated player but he did not catch the attention of many in the early part of his career at Sunderland. But now he has become a fast and highly technical winger who has an end product but can also play upfront. His pace will be a worry to the Arsenal defence and his left foot is capable of scoring stunning goals. In defence, Sunderland have a few experienced players like John O’Shea and Wes Brown. Sunderland’s defence has been pretty solid all season, they have only conceded 26 goals home and away. Arsenal on the other hand have let in 26 goals away from home alone. Arsenal have found trips to the Stadium of Light difficult in recent times, the last time they managed to get the three points at the SOL was just last week. And that was their first win in four years at the SOL.
After the sorry night in Milan, Arsene Wenger knows that if his players do not recover then his team will find themselves out of another cup competition. AC Milan gave Arsenal a footballing lesson on Wednesday night and came out as winners in a 4-0 trashing. It was Thierry Henry's last game and he has returned to New York Red Bulls. He will be missed because it was his goal that put Arsenal through to the fourth round of this competition. Laurent Koscielny picked up a knee injury at the San Siro and is therefore a doubt for the trip to Sunderland. Gervinho has returned from the African Cup of Nations in time to be available for this game. Players such as Lukasz Fabiański, Francis Coquelin and Andery Arshavin will get their chance to impress with Wenger needing to rotate some of his players after their poor showing in Italy. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain did not to the surprise of many start against AC Milan so he will be line for another start against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. After the defeat in San Siro, Arsenal can't afford to suffer another one at the Stadium of Light. Going out of two cup competitions in the space of a week is a disaster for the club and the whole season will collapse. Arsenal have a real fight on their hands in the league in order to get a top four place and still have the chance to give their fans a cup run in the FA cup. With Manchester United and Manchester City already out, it gives them a shot at the trophy they last won back in 2005. Not going out of the FA Cup is vital if the Gunners are to prevent yet another collapse in their season.
Teams News:
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Overall Record vs: Sunderland
Played: 139
Wins: 54
Draws: 38
Losses: 47
For: 223
Against: 194
GD: 29
Last 6 Meetings:
Sunderland 1 - 2 Arsenal
Arsenal 2 - 1 Sunderland
Arsenal 0 - 0 Sunderland
Sunderland 1 - 1 Arsenal
Arsenal 2 - 0 Sunderland
Sunderland 1 - 0 Arsenal
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Mangers Views:
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Final Score:
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And I don't see how Ramsey can keep his place in the team at the moment. I'd probably pick Rosicky ahead of Arshavin (he was the one player who actually looked bothered in Milan) and I'd have Arteta instead of Coquelin.
