Arsenal and Liverpool are set to lock horns for a second time this season in a Cup competition that Mikel Arteta's side has won the most.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are the current holders of the Emirates FA Cup and their easy third round tie against League one side, Huddersfield Town, makes the Citizens one the leading favourites to lift this edition's tournament in the closing stages of the 2023-24 campaign.
The first 2023-24 competitive meeting between Arsenal and Liverpool ended in a 1-1 draw but Jurgen Klopp's side rightly deserved to clinch all three points, if it wasn't for VAR's controversial decision to deny the Reds an obvious penalty at Anfield.
Nevertheless, both club managers are currently sweating on the availability of their key players ahead of the FA Cup third-round showdown at the Emirates stadium this evening. Gabriel Jesus has been reported to have sustained a knee injury that may likely force the Brazilian out of the FA Cup meeting against Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp on the other hand, will have to field a starting XI that will not include, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboslai, Endo, Thiago Alcantara, Tsimikas and Andy Robertson at the Emirates stadium to take on Mikel Arteta's Arsenal today.
Now, with all that in mind and no further distractions, let's quickly look at the two likely reasons as to why Arsenal will not reach this season's FA Cup fourth round.
1. Poor run of results
The Gunners has won only one of their last five Premier League fixtures and most shocking of all, Mikel Arteta's side suffered back-to-back defeats against West Ham United and Fulham.
Arsenal's poor run of results remains a major reason why their chances of advancing into the FA Cup fourth round appears very unlikely.
2. No.9 struggles
Gabriel Jesus is currently being assessed ahead of the FA Cup meeting against Liverpool but in the Brazilian's absence, Mikel Arteta's side has struggled for goals upfront.
Eddie Nketiah, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz are three viable options Mikel Arteta has at his disposal but neither of the trio has actually delivered in the absence of Gabriel Jesus.
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