Preview: Arsenal vs Wigan Athletic – prediction, team news, lineups
In a repeat of a memorable 2013-14 semi-final, Arsenal and Wigan Athletic meet again on Sunday for the FA Cup fourth round at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners beat Portsmouth 4-1 in their first match of the third round, while the Latics stunned Preston North End 1-0 last time out to earn a date with the Premier League leaders.
Match Preview
Still the most successful team to ever compete for FA Cup glory, 14-time winners Arsenal have incredibly never progressed beyond this point in the competition since last lifting the trophy at a virtually empty Wembley in 2020.
The Gunners’ journey in the 2020-21 and 2022-23 competitions ended at this point against Southampton and Manchester City respectively, but Mikel Arteta’s chasing quadruple made light work of lower league Portsmouth to begin their quest for triumph number 15.
Gabriel Martinelli’s hat-trick grabbed the headlines on a day when Arsenal scored all four of their goals from set pieces, already making them the team with the most goals in the 2025-26 competition from dead balls in the first round.
However, the hosts head into the weekend with some wrongs to right after being held to a draw. 1-1 Premier League stalemate by Brentford on Thursday night, leaving them just four points clear of Manchester City in the standings. top of the ranking.
Only time will tell if the ‘bottle’ has really started, but the Emirates Stadium provides comfort for Arsenal, who have won their last three matches in front of their own fans since being stunned by Michael Carrick’s Manchester United.
© Imago
Although not quite on the level of Macclesfield against Crystal Palace, Wigan still defied the odds in their FA Cup third round clash, traveling to Championship side Preston North End and emerging 1-0 winners thanks to a Harrison Bettoni strike.
The 90-minute victory was a welcome change for the away side in the 2025-26 competition, as Wigan had to resort to penalties to knock out Barrow and Hemel Hempstead from the earlier stages, en route to a second successive fourth round appearance.
The 2012-13 champions, however, went out at this stage of the 2024-25 campaign to Fulham, and they have failed to reach the fifth round of the tournament since the 2017-18 season, when they shocked Manchester City before a quarter-final defeat to Southampton.
However, Wigan have failed to get going since improving Preston, losing five and drawing one of their next six League One clashes – most recently following a humiliating 6-1 thrashing at Peterborough United with a 2-1 home reverse to Reading.
Wigan’s recent dismal record ultimately cost Ryan Lowe his job; Glenn Whelan and Graham Barrow have been named caretaker managers as the visitors search for a successor, and Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell is seen as a prime candidate.
While all this is happening, the Latics continue to languish in the Ligue 1 relegation zoneand Sunday’s match will mark their first meeting with Arsenal since the 2013-14 semi-finals, when Lukasz Fabianski’s penalty heroics took the Gunners to the final.
Arsenal FA Cup form:
Arsenal form (all competitions):
Wigan Athletic FA Cup form:
Wigan Athletic form (all competitions):
Team News
© Imago / Sportsphoto
Two new concerns emerged for Arsenal on Thursday, as William Saliba was absent from Brentford’s draw through illness, while Martin Odegaard suffered a knee knock on his return from an earlier knock.
Although both men can recover in time for the fourth round clash, they are not expected to take any risks and are therefore expected to join Mikel Merino (foot), Max Dowman (ankle) and Kai Havertz (muscle) on the sidelines of this showdown.
Third round hat-trick hero Martinelli will be among a plethora of Arsenal players to be promoted to the first XI on Sunday, a list which also includes Kepa Arrizabalaga, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Christian Norgaard to name just a few.
Meanwhile, Wigan duo Baba Adeeko and Luke Robinson are training again following their layoffs, but neither man will be ready for the trip to north London.
Harry McHugh is slightly behind in his rehabilitation, however, while James Carragher has missed Wigan’s last two games with a knock and is a doubt for the fourth round tie.
Fortunately, Jason Kerr has left the treatment room and is set to wear the captain’s armband for Wigan, while Sam Tickle – a former Arsenal transfer target – starts in goal.
Possible Arsenal starting lineup:
Kepa; White, Mosquera, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly; Eze, Norgaard, Rice; Madueke, Jesus, Martinelli
Possible Wigan Athletic starting XI:
Tickle; Fox, Aimson, Kerr; Hunt, Weir, Smith, Murray; Bettoni, Wright; Taylor
We say: Arsenal 4-0 Wigan Athletic
Back at home, facing a Wigan side in poor shape and boasting plenty of fresh and formidable legs, Sunday’s game should be a cakewalk for the Gunners.
The FA Cup has been a cursed competition for record winners in recent years, but they will surely end their fifth round hoodoo with minimal fanfare.
For data analysis of most likely outcomes, scores and more for this match, please click here.