Blackpool vs Arsenal
FA Cup 2018-19
Venue: Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
Date: Saturday 5 January 2019
Kick-off: 5:30pm GMT
Unai Emery will get his first taste of the FA Cup with a trademark old fashioned tie when he takes his Arsenal side to Blackpool this weekend.
The Gunners, the most successful club in the competition's history with 13 titles, have won the competition in three of the past five seasons but saw their final campaign under Arsene Wenger end at this stage last season, losing to Championship side Nottingham Forest.
Emery, who will be keen to build on the 4-1 League win over Fulham, will be confident of getting off on the right foot against the League One Tangerines.
Team news
Arsenal are unlikely to welcome back any of their injured players in time for Saturday's FA Cup third-round clash at Blackpool.
Mesut Ozil (knee) leads the list of expected absentees and while Hector Bellerin (calf), Nacho Monreal (hamstring) and Konstantinos Mavropanos (groin) are training at some level, none are likely to be risked at Bloomfield Road.
The same goes for Shkodran Mustafi, who came off at half-time in the win over Fulham with a minor hamstring complaint, while Rob Holding (knee), Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Danny Welbeck (both ankle) are ruled out longer-term.
Provisional squad: Leno, Cech, Martinez, Jenkinson, Lichtsteiner, Koscielny, Papastathopoulos, Medley, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Elneny, Torreira, Guendouzi, Ramsey, Iwobi, Saka, Lacazette, Aubameyang, Nketiah.
Score prediction: Blackpool 0-3 Arsenal
Emery is wary of avoiding a 'dark day' on Saturday as he put it; the Spaniard is unlikely to take unnecessary risks that might jeopardise a much-needed cup run.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Blackpool win: 13/1
- Arsenal win:1/4
- Draw: 5/1
First goalscorer odds
- Alexandre Lacazette: 16/5
- Eddie Nketiah: 9/2
- Bukayo Saka: 6/1
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet
TV channel and live stream online coverage
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 2, with coverage starting from 5pm.
BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
These two sides have met 83 times on the past with Arsenal picking up 44 wins in that time.
The two met as recently as last October when the Gunners sealed a 2-1 win at the Emirates in the round of 16 stage in the League Cup.
