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Arsenal face severe test in Cup replay
Arsenal will be able to measure how far they have fallen this season when they play away to Championship side Sheffield United in a FA Cup fifth round replay today. The champions, 10 points adrift of leaders Chelsea and four behind second-placed Manchester United in the Premier League, will travel to Sheffield on Tuesday without any of their first team strikers who are absent through injury and suspension.
Injured England defender Sol Campbell and Brazil midfielder Edu will also miss the game through injury. The 1-1 draw against Sheffield was yet another glitch in a season that has gone downhill since Arsenal lost 2-0 to United at Old Trafford in October, the end of a record 49-man unbeaten league run. They have won only half of their 28 games in all competitions since and lost five, including two further defeats by United in the league and League Cup. Arsenal are in danger of finishing lower than second in the Premier League for the first time in their eight and a half years under Arsene Wenger. With their chances of progress in the Champions League seriously compromised by their 3-1 defeat at Bayern Munich last week, the FA Cup could end up being Arsenal's only chance of a trophy this season. SAINTS TEST Southampton, battling against relegation, face a trip to west London to meet third division Brentford, who twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at St Mary's. Saints did well to hold Arsenal 1-1 at home in the Premier League at the weekend but they are reeling from the dismissal of midfielder David Prutton, who is set for a likely longer suspension than the automatic one-match ban after he pushed the referee in his anger. There could be as many as four non-Premier League teams in the quarter-finals with Brentford eyeing a glamour home game against holders Manchester United if they beat Southampton. Blackburn Rovers were held by second division Burnley in a goalless draw at Turf Moor but they now have home advantage in their replay at Ewood Park, also on Tuesday. Not so Tottenham Hotspur, forced into a replay on Wednesday at Nottingham Forest when the second division strugglers came from behind to draw 1-1 at White Hart Lane. Forest's 21-year-old midfielder Kris Commons has been voted FA Cup Player of the Round before the replays for his fine performance at Spurs.
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