Manchester City: Citizens Draw Arsenal in FA Cup Semis
By Larry Henry
Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester City face a tough test in the Emirates F.A. Cup semifinals after drawing London giants Arsenal in Monday’s draw.
The Citizens are coming off a 2-0 road win over Middlesbrough in their quarterfinal match-up this past Saturday. Goals from David Silva and Sergio Aguero booked Guardiola’s side into April’s semifinals at Wembley Stadium.
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Manchester City have defeated the likes of West Ham United, Crystal Palace, and Huddersfield Town so far during this year’s competition. They have outscored their opponents 15-1 in that span, despite needing a reply to defeat Huddersfield.
Guardiola’s men defeated Arsenal 2-1 at the Etihad back in December, and are currently on an 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
As for Arsenal, they recently were ousted from the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, falling to Bayern Munich on an aggregate of 10-2. They kicked off their F.A. Cup campaign back in January by defeating Preston North End 2-1 away from home.
A 5-0 thrashing of Southampton in January, paired with victories over non-league outfits Sutton United and Lincoln City saw Arsene Wenger‘s side into the semifinals. April’s meeting will be the first between the two sides since a 2-1 victory by the Gunners back in 1971. It is also Arsenal’s 29th F.A. Cup semifinal, which is a record.
Two of the top creative sides will be on display at Wembley, with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Alex Iwobi, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Mesut Ozil, and Sergio Aguero all hopefully in action. Sanchez and Aguero are two of the top forwards not only in the EPL, but in the world. Both Sanchez and Aguero are 28-years-old, with Aguero tallying three more goals in all competitions this season (24-to-21).
Elsewhere, current EPL leaders Chelsea will face Tottenham Hotspur in the other semifinal draw. This being a London Derby, should give this match an extra edge, while these sides have played some great matches recently. Chelsea are coming off a 1-0 quarterfinal win over reigning cup holders Manchester United on Monday, while Tottenham thrashed Millwall 6-0 on Sunday.
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With four top sides remaining in the 2016-17 Emirates F.A. Cup competition, April’s semifinals could easily be some of the best action we have seen all year.