Portsmouth vs Arsenal preview: Gunners aim to bounce back after UEL exit

Mikel Arteta has challenged his Arsenal players to respond to their shock Europa League exit by avoiding another slip-up when they head to Portsmouth in the FA Cup.

The Gunners fell to a 2-1 extra-time loss at the hands of Olympiacos and are now left battling for silverware on just one front ahead of Monday's trip to Fratton Park.

Match preview

Arsenal's loss to Olympiacos on Thursday could have wider ramifications for the club, with reports on Saturday suggesting that they will miss out on as much as £70m following their exit in the first knockout round.

The Gunners appeared to have turned a corner under Arteta in recent weeks by turning promising displays into good results, but the Olympiacos setback could take some getting over.

Thankfully for Arteta, his side have a winnable fifth-round tie right on the horizon as they make the trip to 2008 winners Portsmouth on Monday.

The FA Cup is a competition Arsenal have won more than any other side, though not since 2017 have they managed to make it all the way and lift the famous trophy.

It is fair to say that the competition has now taken on added importance for Arteta in the wake of Arsenal's European shocker, knowing that this is his only shot at securing silverware in his maiden campaign in the Emirates Stadium dugout.

History certainly suggests that this should be a tie the North London side advance from as not since January 1992, 12 fixtures ago, have they failed to see off a side from the third tier or lower in the FA Cup.

Portsmouth will be well up for this game, of course, and skipper Tom Naylor has warned Arsenal's players that they will not have experienced an atmosphere like the one Fratton Park can generate.

That is up for debate, but one thing for certain is that Pompey have a formidable record on home soil. They have won their last 10 games at Fratton Park in all competitions and are unbeaten there in 19 since August.

Back-to-back victories lifted Kenny Jackett's men into third place in League One ahead of this weekend's action, two points adrift of the top two.

However, Portsmouth have not beaten Arsenal in any competition since winning a league match 5-4 in March 1958, drawing eight and losing 13 of their 21 meetings since then.

To make matters worse for Pompey, they have lost their last five FA Cup ties against Premier League opponents when not in the top flight themselves.

They will be looking to change all that on Monday when an Arsenal side in desperate need of a response visit fortress Fratton Park.

Team News

Arsenal had a weekend off in the Premier League due to Manchester City's EFL final commitments, but it is still a quick turnaround in games on the back of their Europa League clash with Olympiacos.

Arteta may well have been planning to rotate his side between games, but he will surely now name a much stronger lineup than expected as he attempts to keep the Gunners' campaign alive.

That could mean top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starting up top, although Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah will also be keen to start on the south coast.

Defenders Cedric Soares, Kieran Tierney, Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers and Sead Kolasinac are all nursing injuries, which could mean January signing Pablo Mari coming in for his first senior appearance.

As for Portsmouth, they are are assessing the fitness of Ronan Curtis and Naylor ahead of Monday night's match.

The pair picked up knocks in Fridays's 3-0 success over Rochdale, but Jackett is confident both men will be fit to face Arsenal.

Christian Burgess collected his 10th yellow card of the season in the same match and must serve a two-game ban, though that does not carry over into the FA Cup.

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Bass; Bolton, Burgess, Raggett, Brown; Naylor, McGeehan; Williams, Cannon, Curtis; Marquis

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Leno; Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, Mari, Saka; Torreira, Ceballos; Nelson, Willock, Martinelli; Aubameyang