For the second FA Cup round in a row, Wigan Athletic will have to play away, and they face no ordinary opponent but the Premier League leaders Arsenal. Securing a positive result at the Emirates Stadium is almost impossible.
Arsenal
Arsenal beat a more modest opponent, Portsmouth, 4:1 in the third round. They are unbeaten in five matches in all competitions, although an untimely 1:1 away draw at Brentford in the last Premier League round interrupted the run. Brentford were a difficult opponent: teams with the 13th most expensive squads in the league do not reach seventh place by accident. Mikel Arteta is likely to give some playing time to younger players.
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic will arrive in London in disarray. On 7 February, after 11 months in charge, head coach Ryan Lowe was dismissed. The final straw was a heavy 1:6 defeat to Peterborough United, which left them with a run of seven EFL League One matches without a win. Because of constant setbacks they have dropped into the relegation zone in 22nd place. The change has not reversed the trend, and on 10 February they lost again, 1:2 to Reading.
Arsenal vs Wigan Athletic Prediction
They will therefore travel to the Emirates Stadium with very little realistic chance. If they cannot compete with teams at their own level, it is hard to expect them to cope with opponents of world-class quality. Arsenal may not even need to play at full intensity, so we will back only the hosts with a -2.5 handicap.
