Oxford United v Arsenal Tips: Mikel Arteta’s FA Cup kings go again
By Joe Crann
Oxford v Arsenal Odds9 January 2023
No team has played in more FA Cup finals or won more FA Cup trophies than Arsenal, and their current form suggests Mikel Arteta’s Gunners can go close once again.
Six games stand in their way, however, from extending their record of 14 FA Cup titles. The first of which sees them make the trip over to Oxford United, where they will be met by a League One outfit who look ripe for the plucking.
You can’t take anything for granted in these David v Goliath ties, but there can really be only one winner on current form. Right?
Going great guns
Not only have Arsenal only lost three games across all competitions this season, but Arteta’s men have also won an impressive 14 out of 17 matches so far in the Premier League – and only one team (Newcastle United) has stopped them from scoring.
You can expect changes due to the Gunners’ league title ambitions. But, despite rotation allowing fringe players the chance to impress, the visitors should still have way too much talent for the U’s to handle.
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There is a reason that this weekend’s hosts are priced at 18 to win, and why there are 11 Arsenal players ahead of Oxford’s first mention (Billy Bodin – 5.9) on the anytime goalscorers list.
We could see a game that’s over by the first half, here, and Arsenal to win by three or more goals in their current form wouldn’t be anything close to a shock.
Big ask for Robinson’s crew
Karl Robinson has done a great job at Oxford over the years, but it’s hard to see a way through for him in this one.
After posting a string of positive results in the final six weeks of 2022, they are now struggling to score goals while allowing their rivals to find the back of the net, which has meant they have won just one of their last five matches.
Their hopes may revolve around tidy midfielder Cameron Brannagan (he’s 7.8 to score anytime, by the way), who made three appearances for Liverpool between 2014 and 2018, but he’s going to have a job on his hands when it comes to creativity against Arsenal.
If you think they could cause a few problems then both teams to score at 2.1 could be the route you want to go down, but odds of a clean sheet for the visitors at 1.81 may be a better route to take given their differing form of late.
The perfect 10?
It’s probably not the sort of news that Robinson will want to hear, but numerous reports have stated that Monday night could see the re-emergence of Emile Smith-Rowe for Arsenal after a frustrating six months on the sidelines.
Smith-Rowe, who plays in the famous number 10 shirt, was a big player for his boyhood club last season. And, after spending half a year out with a groin injury, he returned to training before Christmas and is now set to make his way back into competitive action.
With football’s love of a storyline, it might be worth a little look at him as an anytime goalscorer (2.72).