FA Cup Fifth Round Draw, 26th Jan (ITV1, after Chelsea - Stoke), 17:35

[Niall_Quinn]

So the FA have decided its best for the fa cup 'brand' to have a mid ranking premier league side in the semi finals and finals rather than the big guns? Genuinely don't get it. A top four final would pull in much bigger global audience for them than if we end up with Fulham or Cardiff sneaking their way through. Surely the money men would want to keep the big boys apart?

Dunno the motive, but it works out at something like a 0.001% chance I think.

[Niall_Quinn]

I'm suspecting that a lot of the angst here is as much about how many of those matches are away as it is about the teams involved. But, we tend to be playing better away. That said, it is an awful run of fixtures.

Need to get results in the first couple of matches and it'll be fine. Fuck the first two up and we'll probably collapse. In other words, no more Everton performances. And obviously we need to avoid getting mike dean.

[fakeyank]

Those fixtures in March is most likely going to be the time when the wheels come off the wagon.. again!
4th place trophy Is coming home tbh

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[Syn]

Wenger should've chucked the game. Knew this would happen. On the plus side, win this game and we've only got one potentially tough game against Chelsea/Man City that stops us from lifting the cup.

[Syn]

Wenger should chuck the Bayern games and try to win this and the league. But the players wouldn't have any of it even though they won't do well in those 3 games in 7 days. CL is still the most important thing for Europeans.

[AFC Leveller]

The March fixtures are excitingly scary. Chelsea, Spurs, Bayern and Everton all away.

Spurs and Everton i can see u getting 4 points but Chelsea away will be tough as usual and Bayern, well it depends on how well we do at home i guess but still tough.

Would be nice to head into those fixtures with a world calss striker signed up as well as Drax or that French winger at Sociedad.

[Letters]

Dunno the motive, but it works out at something like a 0.001% chance I think.

It's funny how when the big sides are 'kept apart' it's a fix because 'they' want a big game for the final and when the big sides are drawn together then it's a fix because...oh I dunno, it just is

[Munchies]

The decent thing about the March fixtures (bar Bayern) are that there is at least a week of rest between the games.

3 days between these games isn't ideal. But seeing as the season has gone so far, I'd expect Wenger to go for:

Chesney starts United/Bayern, Fabianski against Liverpool.

We only have one back-up CB in Verm, so I imagine Kosc/Merts will both start against against United and Bayern. And Verm/ either of the 2 start against Liverpool.

Our deep lying midfield 2 will probably be Arteta/Ramsey against United and Bayern. Flamini/Wilshere for Liverpool.

Our front midfield 3 will be Cazorla/Ozil/Gnabry against United/Bayern. Probably Pods/Rosicky and Cazorla for the Liverpool game

Giroud is all we got tbf

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Our game against Swansea would be postponed if we were to beat Liverpool in the FA Cup, I think.

Liverpool's fixture to be postponed then would be Sunderland (h).

Citeh's would be Villa (h), in addition to their match with Man Utd (a) already being postponed due to the COC final.

Chelsea's to be postponed if they beat Citeh would be Spuds (h).

[Niall_Quinn]

Not a bad set of fixtures if you ask me. Take Bayern out of the mix and there's nothing dramatic. Chavs away will be tough. Liverpool away maybe. But are we really worried about Utd or the spuds? Palace, Sunderland, stoke, Swansea, all wins. I agree with syn, ignore the Bayern match as part of the sequence. We're not expected to win that but apart from the chav game I'd makes us favourites in all the rest. Bout time we considered that our opponents don't see us as an easy touch either. If its scary for us then it's scary right back for them. The gypos won't look forward to comi g to our place with their comedy defence and ack of home ref.