Arsenal versus Leyton Orient – FA Cup fifth round
Arsenal played a 1-1 draw against Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road on February 20 and have to play again tonight in an FA Cup fifth round replay. Arsenal was in the lead with a goal, but a late goal from Jonathan Tehoue ruined the party for the visiting team.
The Emirates Stadium will cater to the replay match and the winner will face Manchester United in the next round. Arsenal should have won the game they played against Leyton Orient, but the draw adds to their hectic schedule. At their own hunting ground,
it should be an easy task for the Gunners. However, with their sinusoidal form, anything is possible.
After the shocking Carling Cup final defeat at the hands of Birmingham City, the Gunners are short on their confidence level. Arsenal Manager Arsène Wenger is looking for a comfortable win and that too without any further injuries. Wenger is focusing on
the rest of the season and other competitions. He said, “We are in a massive race in the championship, we have an opportunity to qualify in the FA Cup and we have won the first leg in the Champions League.” He said the Gunners must learn from the Carling Cup
final and move on with the remaining competitions. He said the players should not lose their motivation and confidence level for the Leyton Orient clash.
Leyton Orient Manager Russell Slade is aware of the wounded Gunners. He believes that Arsenal will hit back hard after the defeat against Birmingham City. He said, “I think they're more dangerous now they're wounded. They're still fighting on three of the
four fronts and they have a great opportunity of winning silverware.” However, Slade said he fancies his team’s chances, especially knowing the fact that Arsenal are not playing with their regular eleven.
This is the twelfth time both the teams are facing each other and Leyton Orient. History is inclined towards Arsenal as Leyton have won only two of their encounters. The minnow team has also never won a game at Arsenal’s home. Arsenal have recently been
in pretty good form, but the defeat at the hands of Birmingham City has ended their 11-match unbeaten run. Arsenal are strong in their home ground and the last time they lost a home game was against Tottenham Hotspur in November 2010.
Arsenal
Most of the Gunners are injured and won’t feature in the fixture. The miseries for Arsenal continue as the top players keep getting injured in almost every match they have played recently. The latest addition to the list of injured players is their ace striker
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Robin-van-Persie-c31380. The Dutchman is known to be injury-prone and has got his knee injured again. Arsenal Captain Cesc Fabregas will be unavailable after suffering a hamstring injury and is also doubtful for the second leg clash against Barcelona at Camp Nou.
Arsenal’s reliable pace winger http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alex-Song-c4804 have also been ruled out of the game with hamstring and ankle injuries respectively.
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient, on the other hand, have a relatively fit camp. The club’s hero from last game Jonathan Tehoue had a migraine problem, but has now recovered and is geared up to play. However, the club does have its share of injuries and out-of-game players.
The young Harry Kane is suspended for the game after he got two yellow cards against Huddersfield Town. Steve Dawson, Jimmy Smith and Matthew Spring are all injured and their inclusion in the team is doubtful for the important game tonight.
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