🕟 Kick Off: 14:00 GMT

🏟️ Venue: Fratton Park

📺 UK Broadcaster: TNT Sports

🙎🏻‍♂️ Referee: Tony Harrington

📹 VAR: Not in operation

🔴 Arsenal Team News:

• Piero Hincapié: Muscle injury; forced off during the second half of the 0-0 draw against Liverpool on January 8. He is a major doubt for the FA Cup match against Portsmouth tomorrow.
• Kai Havertz: Match fitness; has successfully recovered from a long-term knee injury. Mikel Arteta confirmed he is on course to be in the matchday squad against Portsmouth on January 11.
• Riccardo Calafiori: Muscle injury; has sat out the last four matches. Ruled out for the Portsmouth tie, with a potential return targeted for mid-January 2026.
• Cristhian Mosquera: Ankle injury; closing in on a return after a month on the sidelines. Ruled out for tomorrow’s match; targeting a return in mid-January 2026.
• Max Dowman: Ankle ligament damage; sustained in December. The 16-year-old remains a long-term absentee with an expected return in early February 2026.

⚽ Arsenal Form: 🟧🟩🟩🟩🟧

🌙 Portsmouth Team News:

• Mark Kosznovszky: ACL and MCL injury; sustained recently. Ruled out for the remainder of the season.
• Hayden Matthews: Ankle injury requiring surgery; sustained against Bristol City. Expected return in March 2026.
• Josh Knight: Back injury; has missed recent matches and remains sidelined. Expected return in early February 2026.
• Callum Lang: Hamstring injury; continues his rehabilitation. Expected return in late January 2026.
• Josh Murphy: Hamstring injury; ruled out for the Arsenal fixture. Expected return in mid-to-late January 2026.
• Connor Ogilvie: Knee injury; currently sidelined. Expected return in early February 2026.
• Florian Bianchini: Knee injury; currently ruled out. Expected return in early February 2026.
• Thomas Waddingham: Thigh/Hip injury; nearing a return but unlikely for this weekend. Expected return in mid-January 2026.
• Marlon Pack: Hamstring injury; currently being assessed. He is a doubt for the Arsenal match but could feature.
• Colby Bishop: Ankle injury; managing a minor issue. He remains a doubt for the FA Cup tie.

⚽ Portsmouth Form: 🟥🟩🟧🟧🟩

⚔️ Head-to-Head:

• Portsmouth 0-2 Arsenal (March 2, 2020, FA Cup)
• Portsmouth 1-4 Arsenal (December 30, 2009, Premier League)
• Arsenal 4-1 Portsmouth (August 22, 2009, Premier League)
• Portsmouth 0-3 Arsenal (May 2, 2009, Premier League)
• Arsenal 1-0 Portsmouth (December 28, 2008, Premier League)

📖 Match Facts:

• Arsenal have been eliminated at this stage in the competion for two years running against Man United and Liverpool.
• Portsmouth haven’t beaten Arsenal since March 1958 in the First Division.
• Arsenal and Portsmouth have met 5 times in the FA Cup, with Arsenal progressing from every meeting. They were forced to a replay in the 70/71 season after Portsmouth held Arsenal to a draw at home.

✍🏼 Pre-Match Ramblings

After a damp squib goalless draw at home to Liverpool midweek, Arsenal are presented with a chance to recapture some joy by kicking off their FA Cup run against a Portsmouth team that sit one point above the drop zone in the Championship. Since winning the FA Cup in Arteta’s first 6 months in charge of Arsenal, we have failed to progress past the fourth round in each subsequent year. Arsenal and the FA Cup are synonymous with eachother; we have won it a record 14 times, and are overdue a good run in the competition.

Portsmouth find themselves in a position familiar to us with a squad ravaged by injuries. They lost center back Hayden Matthews in the 5-0 thrashing they faced at Bristol City, with their manager speaking publically about their precarious position in defense. Arsenal on the other hand seem to have stabilised on the injury front, apart from the fresh injury picked up by Pieroa Hincapie against Liverpool. Lewis Skelly will be our only option at left back, and his performances have faced criticism this season as they have not lived up to the highs he reached in his breakout season last year.

Gabriel Jesus will likely get a start over the struggling Gyokeres who is without an open play goal since November 1st against Burnley. The Swede is currently on a 6 game goal drought, and it’s getting to a point where people are losing, or have lost patience. If one of the alternatives up front can find form, Gyokeres may struggle to get many more starts in big games this season. With Havertz’s return imminent, the clock may be ticking for our #14 to make a name for himself in his debut season.