Last weekend, Arsenal earned a 2-1 victory against Championship side Burnley to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup. With nine Premier League teams remaining in the competition, it looked as though the Gunners would face a difficult tie but they will once again face second-tier opposition after drawing Steve Bruce’s Hull City.
Fortunately for the Gunners, Manchester City and Chelsea were drawn against each other – meaning that one of their main rivals for the crown will be eliminated before the quarter-final stage. Arsenal will be quietly confident of their chances this season and although the Premier League will remain the number one priority, a third consecutive FA Cup success shouldn’t be snuffed at.
According to Betway’s football odds, Arsenal are now the favourites for the FA Cup this season. At the time of writing, the Gunners are 7/2 to defend their title – and it’s hard to argue against them. On current form, Arsenal are capable of beating anybody and, with no disrespect to Hull, they were fortunate to avoid a top flight side in the draw.
With the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud in the side, Arsenal have enough offensive talent to cause problems for Hull’s defence. The Tigers have enjoyed plenty of success since suffering relegation to the Championship but Bruce’s side are likely to struggle against the sheer power and ability of Arsenal’s octane attacking unit.
In fact, Arsenal’s strike force could well be the key to both their FA Cup and Premier League hopes this campaign. At the start of the season, many Arsenal fans criticised Arsene Wenger after the Frenchman decided to stick by Giroud as Arsenal’s main striker. The Gunners were linked with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema throughout the summer but a move never materialised – something that riled the majority of supporters.
However, Giroud has been simply sublime this campaign. The Frenchman has flourished as Arsenal’s leading forward and is enjoying his football at the Emirates Stadium. With the European Championships on home soil in France this summer, it’s hardly a huge surprise to see Giroud trying desperately to impress both Wenger and national team coach Didier Deschamps.
Attention will now turn to Arsenal’s upcoming Premier League fixtures. On Sunday, the Gunners will travel to Bournemouth as they look to keep pace with Leicester City and Manchester City at the top of the table. Punters can visit Betway’s website to check this weekend’s football odds and as of February 1st, Wenger’s men are priced at 11/10 to pick up all three points in that clash.
However, it’s the FA Cup that will be on Arsenal’s minds right now – and rightly so. Gunners’ supporters will already have one eye on a potential quarter-final clash and with a number of top flight sides facing difficult ties, Arsenal could well have a fairly straightforward route to the final. With a bit of luck, there’s absolutely no reason why Wenger’s men cannot win the competition once again this season.