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Southampton make six changes to the team that saw off Shrewsbury Town in the rescheduled third-round match this week. Danny Ings returns after a hamstring injury and positive Covid test. Theo Walcott and Che Adams are also back. Fraser Forster, Jack Stephens, Jan Bednarek, James Ward-Prowse and Ibrahima Diallo all retain their places.
Arsenal make seven changes from the team sent out to beat Newcastle 3-0 in the Premier League on Monday night. Hector Bellerin, Gabriel Magalhaes, Mohamed Elneny, Nicolas Pepe, Willian, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah are all in, while new loan signing Mat Ryan is on the bench. No Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the squad.
Southampton: Forster, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Stephens, Bertrand, Armstrong, Diallo, Ward-Prowse, Walcott, Ings, Adams.
Subs: Watts, Long, Valery, Vokins, Ramsay, N’Lundulu, Lewis, Jankewitz, Chauke.
Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Cedric, Elneny, Xhaka, Pepe, Willian, Martinelli, Nketiah.
Subs: Saka, Lacazette, Runarsson, Maitland-Niles, Thomas, Chambers, Luiz, Willock, Ryan.
The 2003 FA Cup final hasn’t lingered long in the memory. Robert Pires scored the only goal of an eye-wateringly dull game, the only real drama coming in the last minute when Ashley Cole cleared James Beattie’s header off the line. Arsenal and Southampton owe us one.
This fourth-round tie could be it! Both teams are in a good place right now, Saints progressing nice and steadily under Ralph Hasenhuttl, Arsenal rediscovering some form after losing their way in the autumn. Both teams will fancy their chances here too: Saints should have won at the Emirates back in December, while Arsenal tasted victory at St Mary’s last June. They also won the last FA Cup meeting here 5-0, though the hat-trick hero that day in 2017, Theo Walcott has since swapped sides. Kick off is at 12.15pm GMT. It’s on!
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