Gunners battle Reading for FA Cup final spot

Venue: Wembley Stadium

Kick off: 5:20pm

Holders Arsenal continue their so-far dominant defence of the FA Cup on Saturday (today) when they meet Reading, the lowest-ranked team in the semi-finals.

At the same Wembley venue where the Gunners ended their nine-year silverware drought last season, Arsene Wenger’s men are expected to take a step closer to making it two trophies in as many seasons.

The Londoners have been unstoppable ever since shaking off the damaging and highly-criticised Champions League defeat to AS Monaco at the end of February.

Last weekend’s 1-0 victory at Burnley was their eighth successive win in all competitions and proved that they are capable of grinding out results as well as blowing teams away.

Regardless, the Gunners’ best chance of a trophy this season remains in a competition that they will have won a joint-best 12 times should they retain it in May.

Progressing to the FA Cup semi-finals represents the undoubted high of a season which has otherwise been a disappointment for many Reading supporters.

Eight points from safety with four games of the season left to play, Reading are not yet mathematically sure of their Championship status, but the cushion is big enough to allow Clarke to focus all of the squad’s energy on reaching a first FA Cup final.

Recent form suggests that the Gunners will again make the final at Reading’s expense. The Royals are winless in five matches since beating Bradford City in their quarter-final replay and lost 1-0 at home to Bournemouth on Tuesday.

Jordan Obita may be asked to fill in at left-back, with Oliver Norwood recalled in the centre of the park after a midweek rest.

Yakubu Aiyegbeni, who missed Everton’s 2009 Wembley appearance with injury, will be on the bench.

Arsenal possible starting lineup: Szczesny; Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Coquelin, Ramsey; Welbeck, Ozil, Sanchez; Giroud

Reading possible starting lineup: Federici; Gunter, Hector, Pearce, Obita; McCleary; Norwood, Karacan, Robson-Kanu; Cox, Pogrebnyak.