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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is expected to rest his key players with Tuesday’s Barcelona match in mind.
Wenger confirmed David Ospina will replace Petr Cech in goal, while January signing Mohamed Elneny is in contention for his second start.
Hull manager Steve Bruce says Nick Powell, who is on loan from Manchester United, will make his debut.
However, on-loan duo Chuba Akpom and Isaac Hayden will be ineligible to play against their parent club.
Editor’s Note: Arsenal are paired up with Hull for the third year in a row in the F.A. Cup with The Gunners getting the better of their two previous encounters could it be third time lucky for Steve Bruce’s side.
Arsenal will play host to Hull this Lunchtime off the back of a huge win last Sunday over Premier League leaders Leicester, it was the Super Subs Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck who managed to turn the game around for Arsenal and that will probably be enough for them to start today.
In terms of the title race it could be a pivotal moment especially as the win will give them a massive boost of confidence going into the final third of the season but for now the focus shifts to defending their F.A. Cup which they’ve won in 2014 and 2015.
2014 will be a particularly harsh reminder for Hull seeing as they were 2-0 up in the Final only to lose to an Aaron Ramsey Extra-Time strike. It was a case of familiarity when the two sides met less than 12 months later in the 4th Round of the competition with again Arsenal coming out on top.
Right now Hull are sitting top of The Championship with a two point advantage over Middlesbrough although Aitor Karanka’s side do have a game in hand. So Today is certainly not be going to a walkover for Arsenal especially as they didn’t make particularly easy work of beating fellow Championship side Burnley in the previous round.
Last time out Hull were held by Brighton in the battle of the two sides aiming for automatic promotion this season and The Tigers would have won the game were it not for the agility of David Stockdale in the Brighton net. His stunning fingertip save meant the game ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
I don’t think that will be the case at The Emirates this Lunchtime. With Arsenal riding on a crest of a wave from Sunday’s dramatic win they will certainly be looking to continue that momentum and also they won’t want to relinquish their grip on the Cup and be the first side to win it three seasons in a row.
I think Hull will certainly put up a good contest but I think the quality in Arsenal’s side will see them get the edge and make it a hat-trick of wins. A home win for me and Arsenal in the hat for the 6th Round draw later this Weekend.
