Arsenal Looking to Cruise to FA Cup Final

Today’s FA Cup semi final against Wigan has become the biggest game of the season for Arsenal, as they look to keep their season alive. It has been a bitterly disappointing two months for the Gunners as the team has slipped out of the Premier League title race and crashed out of the Champions League.

The FA Cup remains the only glimmer of hope as the club might even miss out on Champions League football next season thanks to the humiliating defeat at Everton last week. Now the cup has become a chance to win a long awaited piece of silverware and possibly put some gloss on what has admittedly turned into a disastrous season.

However, Arsenal will first have to pass Wigan. On paper, playing a Championship side in the semi final of the cup looks an easy task, but two factors make this a worrying match for the club as it travels to Wembley Stadium. The first is the fact Wigan beat Manchester City to get to this stage, and as defending holders will be no pushovers. The second consideration is Arsenal´s own recent woeful form.

With everything to play for, Arsene Wenger will undoubtedly play his strongest possible 11, and Aaron Ramsey could feature more prominently after returning from injury. The problem remains how to get Olivier Giroud more into the game, with the midfield struggling to find the French striker enough. Wenger will also be looking for more pace and urgency in the passing to catch a Wigan team that likes to foray forward in numbers.

The good news for Arsenal is that Wigan´s league form has also been poor of late, so with that in mind it should be a relatively easy day out at Wembley for the Gunners. Although, who knows with this club!

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