ARSENAL are up against Newcastle this evening in the third round of their FA Cup campaign, as the Gunners look to defend the coveted trophy.
Mikel Arteta’s side are finally back in form and will be hoping to advance to the fourth round of the competition they won last year with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
- Start time: 5.30pm GMT
- TV/Live stream: BBC One/BBC iPlayer
- Arsenal XI: To follow
- Newcastle XI: To follow
Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
Arsenal won last season’s FA Cup with a 2-1 win over ChelseaCredit: PA:Press Association
What time does Arsenal vs Newcastle kick-off?
- Arsenal’s home tie with Newcastle will get underway from 5.30pm UK time on Saturday, January 9.
- The game will take place at the Emirates Stadium.
- There will be no fans in attendance because of the nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
What channel is it on and can it be live streamed?
- Newcastle’s trip down to London will be shown live on BBC One, free for supporters to watch.
- The game will be available for live streaming from the BBC iPlayer app, which can be downloaded onto your mobile or tablet device.
Can I watch for FREE?
- Yes, the game is available for FREE on BBC One, so long as you have a TV licence.
- You can also catch the action on the BBC iPlayer.
FA CUP FLASHBACK
We have to rewind back to the year of 2008 when these two clubs last battled it out in the FA Cup. Arsenal fans, you can stop reading if you want but it was an Adebayor brace which helped the Gunners to secure a fifth round spot. I’m aware that he’s not quite a fan favourite anymore but he was influential in that particular match.
It was an end to end game with both sides having positive attacks early on. Eduardo thumped a half-volley towards the Newcastle net forcing a fine save from Shay Given and this came before Clichy almost put Fabregas through for a one-on-one but the Spaniard’s touch let him down.
Clichy was then called upon again but this time with a headed clearance off the line from an Alan Smith swivel and shot which left the Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehman completely beaten.
The deadlock was finally broken five minutes into the second half when an Eduardo effort clipped the post and Adebayor was present for the rebound to put Arsenal 1-0 up.
This gave Arsene Wenger’s team the lift they needed and they completely dominated the second half with pretty patterns of football in Wenger ball style.
Eventually the lead was doubled by that man Adebayor again after the Togolese international’s perfect positioning presented him the opportunity to fire the ball past a helpless Shay Given.
And the rout was completed when a Fabregas free-kick was inadvertently deflected off the head of Butt making it 3-0 in the closing stages of the second half putting any potential comeback completely beyond doubt.
EMPTY EMIRATES
The fans might be absent but we are still in need of a fiery FA Cup fixture to heat up North London.
GOOD AFTERNOON
Hi SunSport family, hope you are all good!
Anyone else ruined their New Year’s resolutions already like me? If you have don’t worry, there’s always 2022.
But anyways, onto more important things. Arsenal start their FA Cup defence this evening when they welcome Newcastle United to the Emirates.
If league form is anything to go by then the Gunners’ sudden turn of fortunes make them strong favourites in the bookmaker’s eyes to progress to the fourth round.
Mikel Arteta’s men have won their previous three matches on the bounce which includes an impressive 3-1 victory over London rivals Chelsea and a 4-0 hammering in the snow over West Brom last weekend.
These victories have propelled Arsenal from 15th position to 11th and I know Gooners, it may not look the best on paper but you are now only 6 points away from those prestigious Champions League spots so things are definitely looking up.
On the other hand, the Magpies suffered a 2-1 defeat to Leicester in their last Premier League outing which means despite holding the current Champions Liverpool to a goalless draw, they have now gone 5 Premier League games without a victory.
However this is the FA Cup, a competition full of shocks and surprises so stay tuned people and you’ll receive all the live updates right to your fingertips.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
