Preview: Arsenal vs Wigan Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

In a repeat of a memorable 2013-14 semi-final, Arsenal and Wigan Athletic reunite for the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners cruised past Portsmouth 4-1 in their third-round opener, while the Latics stunned Preston North End 1-0 last time out to earn a date with the Premier League leaders.

Match preview

Still the most successful team to ever vie for FA Cup glory, 14-time winners Arsenal have incredibly never progressed beyond this point of the competition since last lifting the trophy aloft at a virtually-empty Wembley in 2020.

The Gunners' journeys in the 2020-21 and 2022-23 competitions ended at this stage against Southampton and Manchester City respectively, but Mikel Arteta's quadruple-chasers made light work of lower-league Portsmouth to begin their quest for triumph number 15.

Gabriel Martinelli's hat-trick stole the headlines on a day when Arsenal scored all four of their goals from set-plays, already making them the team with the most goals in the 2025-26 competition from dead-ball situations from the first-round onwards.

However, the hosts head into the weekend with a few wrongs to right after being held to a 1-1 Premier League stalemate by Brentford on Thursday night, leaving them just four points above Manchester City at the summit of the rankings.

Whether the 'bottle' has truly begun only time will tell, but the Emirates Stadium brings home comforts for Arsenal, who have won their last three matches in front of their own fans since being stunned by Michael Carrick's Manchester United.

While not quite on the level of Macclesfield vs. Crystal Palace, Wigan still defied the odds in their FA Cup third-round showdown, travelling to Championship outfit Preston North End and emerging 1-0 victors thanks to a Harrison Bettoni strike.

Victory in 90 minutes was a welcome change for the away side in the 2025-26 competition, as Wigan required penalties to eliminate Barrow and Hemel Hempstead from the earlier phases, en route to a second consecutive fourth-round appearance.

The 2012-13 champions exited at this point of the 2024-25 campaign to Fulham, though, and they have failed to reach the fifth round of the tournament since the 2017-18 season, when they shocked Manchester City before a quarter-final loss to Southampton.

However, Wigan have been unable to kick on since bettering Preston, losing five and drawing one of their subsequent six League One clashes - most recently following up a 6-1 humbling at Peterborough United with a 2-1 home reverse to Reading.

Wigan's dismal recent record ultimately cost Ryan Lowe his job; Glenn Whelan and Graham Barrow were placed in interim charge as the visitors search for a successor, and Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell is thought to be a prime candidate.

While all that is going on, the Latics continue to languish in the League One relegation zone, and Sunday's match will mark their first meeting with Arsenal since the 2013-14 semis, when Lukasz Fabianski's penalty heroics carried the Gunners to the final.

Arsenal FA Cup form:

Arsenal form (all competitions):

Wigan Athletic FA Cup form:

Wigan Athletic form (all competitions):

Team News

Two fresh concerns arose for Arsenal on Thursday, as William Saliba was absent from the Brentford draw due to illness, while Martin Odegaard suffered a blow to the knee upon his return from a previous knock.

While both men may recover in time for the fourth-round clash, they should not be risked and thus ought to join Mikel Merino (foot), Max Dowman (ankle) and Kai Havertz (muscle) on the sidelines for this showdown.

Third-round hat-trick hero Martinelli will be among a plethora of Arsenal players to earn promotion to the first XI on Sunday, a list that also includes Kepa Arrizabalaga, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Christian Norgaard to name but a few.

Meanwhile, Wigan duo Baba Adeeko and Luke Robinson are now in training again following their layoffs, but neither man will be ready for the trip to North London.

Harry McHugh is slightly behind in his rehabilitation, though, while James Carragher has missed Wigan's last two games with a knock and is doubtful for the fourth-round tie.

Thankfully, Jason Kerr has exited the treatment room and should sport the captain's armband for Wigan, while Sam Tickle - a former Arsenal transfer target - starts in goal.

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Kepa; White, Mosquera, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly; Eze, Norgaard, Rice; Madueke, Jesus, Martinelli

Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:

Tickle; Fox, Aimson, Kerr; Hunt, Weir, Smith, Murray; Bettoni, Wright; Taylor