Arsenal will aim to compete in this season’s FA Cup as they begin their journey with a trip down south to take on Championship strugglers Portsmouth.
John Mousinho must take a stern call on what he wants to achieve with this Portsmouth side this season and prioritise things as they go along ahead of the game against Arsenal in the FA Cup third round. For now, they are struggling for relevance in the EFL Championship, hovering over the relegation zone with a single point advantage at the moment.
Portsmouth have shown plenty of improvements of late after stitching together a four-game unbeaten run before they ended 2025. However, since then, they have been thrashed by Bristol City 5-0 to begin another cycle of problems. Pompey were scheduled to play Ipswich Town last weekend, but owing to a frozen pitch, the game had to be called off, which has allowed Mousinho’s players a bit of a respite and rest.
However, they are about to begin their FA Cup journey with a third-round clash on home soil and host Premier League leaders Arsenal. Portsmouth have not beaten the Gunners since 1958 when they prevailed in a top-flight thriller that ended with a 5-4 scoreline. Since then, they have failed to beat the North Londoners in 22 attempts.
Mikel Arteta will have fond memories of the FA Cup, as it resembles the only major trophy the Spanish manager has won since taking over at the club in December 2019. The Gunners have gone from strength to strength under the Spanish manager, and their status as Premier League leaders personifies that.
The Gunners are in the mood to compete on all fronts this season, having assembled a quality squad with significant depth. They are currently sitting six points clear in the Premier League, although that could have stretched to eight points had they managed to defeat Liverpool at the Emirates on Thursday, as the game ended in a lacklustre goalless draw.
The arrival of the FA Cup does allow Arteta to switch his attention away from the Premier League and focus on the task ahead at Portsmouth. Arsenal are widely expected to compete on all fronts, and winning the FA Cup will be a key part of their agenda this season, as they will aim to get into the fourth round of the competition by beating Portsmouth on Sunday.
Team News & Tactics
Portsmouth
Portsmouth suffered a massive blow with the news that Mark Kosznovszky will miss the remainder of the season and many more months with an ACL tear. Defender Hayden Matthews is also sidelined for around two months with an ankle injury suffered against Bristol City.
Beyond those two key stars, Pompey are also without star attacker Josh Murphy, Callum Lang, Josh Knight, Connor Ogilvie, Thomas Waddingham and Florian Bianchini for this FA Cup third-round clash.
Despite the grim injury list ahead of John Mousinho, there are some positives to take, as skipper Marlon Pack and key striker Colby Bishop are in contention following their return from injury.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Schmid; Devlin, Shaughnessy, Poole, Swanson; Dozzell, Pack; Segecic, Chaplin, Blair; Bishop
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta will lean towards making key rotations for this trip to Portsmouth, given that many of his first-team stars have played a lot of minutes. However, the Arsenal boss must find solutions to the backline, so as not to over-exert some of his defenders amid the absence of some key players in those positions.
Piero Hincapie was the latest casualty on that front, as the Ecuadorian suffered a suspected hamstring strain in the draw against Liverpool. Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera are close to making a return, but this game might come too soon. Ben White is fit and should replace Jurrien Timber, while Myles Lewis-Skelly should start at left-back.
There is the off chance Arteta opts to give teenager Marli Salmon his first start for the club and play him alongside the experienced Gabriel Magalhaes. Kepa Arrizabalaga is expected to replace David Raya in goal, while there are other changes expected further down the pitch.
As for the midfield unit, Christian Norgaard and Mikel Merino are expected to replace Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice in the middle of the park. Similarly, there could be a spot for Eberechi Eze in place of Martin Odegaard, while Ethan Nwaneri will also hope to get some minutes under his belt.
Gabriel Jesus will lead the line for Arsenal against Portsmouth, with Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli on either side of the front three. Meanwhile, Arteta could use this game to give Kai Havertz some minutes should the German international make the matchday squad.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; White, Salmon, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Norgaard, Merino; Madueke, Eze, Martinelli; Jesus
Key Stats
- Arsenal are undefeated in their last 16 matches against Portsmouth in all competitions.
- Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in five of their last seven away matches against Portsmouth in all competitions.
- Arsenal are unbeaten in their last eight games across all competitions.
- Portsmouth have not defeated Arsenal since 1958 and remain winless in their last 22 competitive games against the North Londoners.
- Since winning the FA Cup in Mikel Arteta’s first season in charge in 2019/20, Arsenal have gone out of the competition in either the third round (3 times) or fourth round (twice) in the last five campaigns.
Player to Watch
Eberechi Eze
The attacking midfielder has been in the news a bit, given Mikel Arteta did not play him in a few games over a period where Arsenal were winning those matches. After four games without a minute, Eze came on as a substitute, and now he is primed to start against Portsmouth.
The English playmaker, who helped with Crystal Palace in this competition last season by scoring the match-winning goal in the final, will want to repeat the success with Arsenal. As much as he is on the fringes at the moment, Eze remains a player of high calibre and equally competent enough to bring himself back into the first team plans, as a big performance against Portsmouth will be key to his rise.
Prediction
Portsmouth 0-4 Arsenal
Form and injuries play a big role in determining where a club stands in the current scheme of things. In Portsmouth’s case, they have a long list of players ruled out, while their form does not scream anything to suggest Arsenal might be worried about this trip.
The Gunners are eager to stamp their authority in the competition and get a big win under their belt to kick-start things in the right way. While Mikel Arteta is expected to rest most of his key first teamers, the backup squad is capable of a big enough scoreline against Portsmouth.
