Sutton United vs Arsenal - Doswell expecting heavy defeat unless Arsenal rest big guns

Posted Sunday, February 19, 2017 by PA

Sutton manager Paul Doswell has admitted Arsene Wenger must field a severely weakened team if his non-league outfit are to have any chance of beating Arsenal and providing the biggest upset in FA Cup history.

Arsenal will travel to Sutton on Monday night for the concluding fixture of a fifth round which has already seen several upsets.

Lincoln, also in the National League, booked their spot in the quarter-finals with a giant-killing 1-0 victory over top-flight Burnley while League One Millwall knocked out Premier League champions Leicester.

In the last round, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were among the Arsenal starters against Southampton as the Gunners cruised to a 5-0 victory.

And Doswell, despite Arsenal's recent slump in results, has written off his team's chances if Wenger fields a similar starting line-up on Monday.

"If he plays the team that beat Southampton 5-0 in the last round, then that would hammer us," said Doswell.

"I think if you see Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez on the team sheet, our chance doesn't come beyond nought. But if they put another team out then it does get up to the ones and two per cents.

"Our only chance is if he puts out an Under-23 reserve side because National League sides can compete against academy players. Then we would have a real chance."

Wenger's under-fire Arsenal team head to Gander Green Lane just five days after their miserable second-half showing against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, which resulted in a 5-1 loss.

And Doswell, who will present Wenger with a B#300 bottle of red wine on Monday, believes a draw against Arsenal will rank among the greatest shocks in the world's oldest club competition.

"The best result for the players would be a 0-0," added Doswell. "If we were to get a draw and we could get back to the Emirates Stadium it would be one of the biggest results in the cup's history and for the players.

"I think half of my team support Arsenal, so the chance for them to go to the Emirates and just have a great day out would be their preferred result."

Wenger has called for his Arsenal players to show they can deal with their recent thrashing at Bayern.

Asked how quickly players can shake off such a defeat, the 67-year-old said: "It will never be quick.

"You keep that with you for your whole life but overall, on the other hand, in life if we dwell too much on the past we forget to prepare for the future.

"Part of a successful life is to basically deal with disappointments and focus 100 per cent on what is in front of you and show you can deal with that."

Wenger has also refused to lay the blame at the feet of any one player, at least publicly, and reckons Arsenal can address their recent slide more easily if everyone at the club remain as one.

"When you have a heavy defeat like that it's difficult to come out on one individual," he added.

"You look at the way we conceded goals and you can as well criticise some other players. But overall for every single player it's always to try to get up to the next level and he is like everybody else.

"I would say it's more about character and being united because it's important you do not get in a blame culture and focus completely on being united to respond well."