Arsenal will travel to face League One side Mansfield City in the fifth round of the 2025/26 FA Cup. Manager Mikel Arteta stated in a press conference that his opponents will be determined to win the match, and therefore urged his team to be fully prepared.

Arsenal secured a 1-0 away win against Brighton in the Premier League earlier in the season, thanks to an assist from Timber for Saka's goal. With this third consecutive victory, Arsenal currently sit atop the table with 67 points, continuing their pursuit of a quadruple.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said, "I've been in this country long enough to understand that being a favorite in this competition doesn't mean anything. In this time and in that stadium environment, opponents will believe they can beat us and will have hope and faith. Therefore, we must be fully prepared."

In addition, Arsenal midfielder Max Dauman, who had previously been injured, has returned to the squad. Arteta said, "Max Dauman has learned a lot. Players are of course very eager to play, that's the most direct feeling. So don't take playing time for granted, because it can be taken away from you when you don't expect it, and it can last for a long time."

“He has also gone through different training arrangements and has begun to better understand the work of rehabilitation coaches, physical therapists and team doctors. He also understands the importance of scans and the discipline needed to maintain physical condition during an injury, otherwise it will take a long time to recover to his original level. However, his performance has been very good and his training condition is also good. Hopefully, we can give him some playing time.”

When asked if he would prioritize certain competitions, Arteta said, "We will certainly do that at certain stages and try to cope through reasonable rotation, but only if we have players available. At the beginning of the season, we had a lot of problems in the forward line, then in the defense, and now there are quite a few players in midfield who are having issues, so the situation is more complicated. This is what I mentioned before, some players are already playing far more minutes than last season, and it's only the beginning of March."

When asked about Saliba's injury, Arteta said, "Saliba injured his other ankle. We noticed after the game that he was feeling uncomfortable when he finished the match, and he didn't feel well afterwards. We'll have to see if he can recover as soon as possible."

Image source: Internet