Arsenal face a tricky tie away to Brighton & Hove Albion tomorrow afternoon as Arsene Wenger’s men look to follow up that impressive victory at Manchester City last weekend with progression to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Gunners saw off Hull City in round three, in a repeat of the final of last season which saw Arsenal come back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in extra time at Wembley.
The manner in which the nine-year trophy drought was ended last season means Arsenal supporters will always have a special affiliation with the world’s oldest cup competition.
Brighton have been struggling in the Championship this season but picked up an impressive 3-1 victory over promotion chasing Ipswich Town in midweek – a further sign of the improvement since the managerial change which saw Chris Hughton replace Sami Hyypia.
Here we have identified five areas in which the game could be lost for Arsenal tomorrow, with these five Brighton & Hove Albion dangermen the one’s to watch.
[ffc-gallery]
Click on Arsene Wenger to reveal 5 Brighton & Hove Albion ‘dangermen’ who could hurt Arsenal tomorrow.
[/ffc-gallery]
Kazenga LuaLua
One of the longest serving players in the Brighton side is former Newacastle United forward Kazenga LuaLua.
LuaLua is one of those players who is often infuriating but also capable of making things happen from nothing.
This has not been his most productive season in a Seagulls shirt with just three goals to his name in 22 appearances and no shortage of yellow cards.
But often the man who lifts himself for the big occasion, he scored a fine free kick in an FA Cup defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in 2012 and he will be the wildcard on show to keep an eye on.
Craig Mackail-Smith
Another player who has endured a tough season with just three goals in 23 appearances this season – two of which came in the Capital One Cup.
However, Scottish international forward Craig Mackail-Smith has a decent goal average over the course of his career and will relish perhaps one last crack against a big side.
The 30-year-old has 139 goals in a career that has taken place with spells with Peterborough United and Dagenham and Redbridge, so the prospect of taking on the Gunners tomorrow is one of which FA Cup dreams are made of.
Leon Best
Brighton became the latest club to take on Leon Best who moved on loan from Blackburn Rovers last week after a disappointing temporary spell at Derby County.
This is the 28-year-old’s third loan spell from Blackburn and he perhaps will be looking to put himself in the shop window more than anyone else tomorrow.
The former Newcastle United man has struggled for regular goals and stability in recent years and is desperate to find a club capable of providing him with regular first team football.
He made his debut as a sub in the 3-1 win over Ipswich Town in midweek and is a threat to Arsenal as he is very much a man with a point to prove, fighting for his Brighton future.
Rohan Ince
The defensive midfielder is a former Chelsea youth team player who only moved to Brighton last summer. In what has been a difficult campaign up until this point, the 22-year-old has performed well in the middle of the park and has contributed three goals.
Ince will have to be at the top of his game tomorrow if Brighton are to get anything, with the likes of Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez set to cause all sorts of problems. If Ince can have any sort of influence on the game defensively, that will be a concern for the Gunners.
Joao Carlos Teixeira
The Portuguese youngster is on a season-long loan from Liverpool and will go into the match high on confidence after a two-goal showing against promotion chasing Ipswich Town in midweek.
Liverpool have high hopes for the young playmaker who has been called ‘the new Deco’ in his homeland.
Capable of producing moments of brilliance, Teixeira will be relishing the chance to show his parent club what he can do against a major Premier League force.
