Match Today: Arsenal vs Oxford United 09-01-2023 FA Cup

Arsenal's exciting season in the Premier League will come to a brief pause as their focus turns to cup football, as they will want to avoid collapsing against lower-league opposition Oxford United in the third round of the FA Cup on Monday night.

The most successful team in the FA Cup currently sits at the top of the Premier League with 44 points in 17 games.

Manchester City leads the defending champions by five points and nine points ahead of third-placed Newcastle, who played in their last match, which ended in a goalless draw. Their record this season includes 14 wins, two draws and just one loss, which comes against Manchester United who they will face in the coming weeks.

Arsenal will likely make sweeping changes for this fixture, and with two difficult league games on the schedule, Arsenal fans will be hoping to see the return of Emil Smith.

Oxford enter this match in 15th place in League One, with 29 points in 24 matches this season, including seven wins, eight draws and nine losses.

They've only had one win in their last five matches, along with two draws and two losses. Oxford's home record has been strong in recent times, losing just one of their last six home matches, which came against Exeter City in their final match.

The hosts have a number of important players missing through injury, particularly at the attacking end of the field, such as Kyle Joseph and Sam Baldock, which will make the task of beating the current best team in the land that much more difficult.

While Oxford kept a clean sheet at home this season, Oxford defeated Premier League rivals only once in their last eight attempts in cup competitions, Arsenal is three games unbeaten.

Away from home, Arsenal have lost just one of their last seven matches in all competitions. This will be another classic David vs Goliath encounter in the FA Cup, as the Premier League side must be too strong for their hosts.

Oxford have had a poor run of form this season, and facing the best team in England at the moment was not what they had hoped.

While Arsenal will likely make many changes for this fixture, they should still have plenty in their ranks for Oxford.