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A tough cup tie beckons should Arsenal beat Oxford United
Arsenal will take on Manchester City at the Etihad in the FA Cup fourth round should they beat League One side Oxford United on Monday night.
The Gunners’ trip to the Kassam Stadium rounds off yet another weekend of magical cup action. While the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham safely navigated their third-round ties, Newcastle succumbed at Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa were beaten at home by League Two outfit Stevenage.
Thus, Arsenal’s progression into the fourth round is far from a certainty, especially with Mikel Arteta poised to rotate his starting XI heavily. Still, you’d like to think the visitors will have too much for their hosts on Monday night.
A tough cup tie beckons should Arsenal beat Oxford United
🏆 The winner of our @EmiratesFACup third-round tie with Oxford United will face either Manchester City or Chelsea away 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 8, 2023
The draw for the fourth round was made ahead of City’s tie with Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, with Oxford Utd or Arsenal being drawn against the victor.
In the end, the clash at the Etihad was barely a contest as Pep Guardiola’s side ran out 4-0 victors to secure their second victory over the Blues in four days. While a depleted Chelsea were dire, City produced a brilliant performance to set up a potential cup tie with the Premier League leaders.
The Cityzens trimmed Arsenal’s deficit at the summit to five points in the week after Newcastle held the Gunners at the Emirates and the two sides are set to face each other twice in the league during the second half of the season.
Before those clashes, though, they could meet in the FA Cup fourth round at the end of January.
For supporters keen to enjoy a deep domestic cup run, Sunday’s draw was far from ideal. It’s the toughest fixture Arsenal could’ve got, and Guardiola’s team selection for City’s third round tie would suggest that he’s not too interested in handing out free passes.
Anyway, it’d be naive of me to get caught up in the allure of facing City in the fourth round because Arsenal have still got a job to do on Monday night. You don’t think the prospect of enjoying an away day at the champions will motivate the Oxford Utd boys even more?