Arsenal expected to overcome Oxford United in FA Cup
Oxford United vs Arsenal - 09/01/2023
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The final tie of the FA Cup Third Round takes place at the Kassam Stadium on Monday night, as third-tier side Oxford United host Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The Gunners sit five points clear of Manchester City in the top-flight table, while the U’s find themselves fourteenth in the League One standings.
Oxford and Arsenal’s last FA Cup meeting came back in 2002-03, with the London club winning 2-0 on that occasion. It is worth noting that Arsenal went on to lift the trophy that season.
The U’s have already come through two rounds to reach this stage, beating Woking 2-1 before claiming an impressive 4-1 victory over Exeter City.
However, the third-tier side have only managed to win one of their last five games in all competitions – losing two of their previous three.
It is also worth pointing out that Oxford have only managed to win seven of their 24 League One games this season, recording eight draws and nine losses in the process.
Given that 20 of Oxford’s 24 league games this term have produced under 3.5 goals, Monday’s clash is likely to be low-scoring affair.
As for Arsenal, they are flying high atop the Premier League table after suffering a solitary defeat in 17 league matches this season.
Better still, Mikel Arteta’s side have picked up 14 Premier League victories this term – meaning they boast a win rate of 82% in the top tier.
The Gunners head into Monday’s clash on a run of one defeat in eight competitive encounters, having falling the Brighton in the EFL Cup before the World Cup break.
Let’s not forget that Arsenal have won a record 14 FA Cup titles over the years, with their most recent triumph coming in 2019-20.
Head-to-head: The nine previous meetings between Oxford United and Arsenal came between 1963 and 2003, with the Gunners winning the two FA Cup ties 7-1 on aggregate.
Given that it’s been two decades since the clubs last met, you can’t read too much into the head-to-head record. That said, Oxford have only beaten Arsenal twice over the years.
Team news: Cameron Brannagan (9 goals, 1 assist), Billy Bodin (7 goals, 4 assists) and Matty Taylor (6 goals, 3 assists) are Oxford’s danger men.
Gabriel Jesus, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson remain injured for Arsenal, while Arteta is expected to shuffle his pack to give key players a rest.
Given the obvious gulf between these two sides in the league standings, Arsenal shouldn’t struggle to advance to the next round.
Forebet predicts that Oxford United will rise to the occasion. However, the Gunners look set to progress with a clean-sheet victory.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
FA
342244
2
0 - 1
2.49
6°
1.10
17.00
10.00
1.10
no
no
no
0 - 3(0 - 0)
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