FA Cup Odds: Ailing Gunners Take on Non-League Lincoln

Arsenal (-1000) vs Lincoln City (+3300), Draw (+1300)

Arsenal have lucked out after drawing another non-EPL opponent for the 2017 FA Cup. They’ll face National League club Lincoln City in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 11.

Arsenal faced National League side Sutton United in the fifth round, beating them 2-0. But Arsenal’s performance was far from convincing. They offered Sutton enough chances to tie (or even win) the game, but the non-league squad didn’t have the talent to seize the opportunities.

Next up is Lincoln City, the leaders of England’s fifth-tier league. Lincoln have already upended Championship sides Ipswich (1-0) and Brighton (3-1), and even managed to beat Premier League side Burnley FC (1-0). They are currently unbeaten in their last seven games, and have done phenomenally well to survive this far in the FA Cup.

Unfortunately for the little-side-that-could, Arsenal have lost four of their last six games and have very little to play for this season other than the FA Cup. Their title chances in the Premier League are virtually nonexistent, and their shot at the Champions League is more-or-less over after they were thumped 5-1 by Bayern Munich.

The Gunners are coming off a bitter 3-1 loss to Liverpool last week, causing them to sink to fifth place in the EPL, out of the Champions League spots. They will almost definitely lose their star striker, Alexis Sanchez, at the end of the season and could possibly lose quite a few more crucial players. On top of that, long-time manager Arsene Wenger’s future at the club is becoming increasingly uncertain.

These are low times for Arsenal, indeed, and an FA Cup win would be at least some consolation for the ailing club. The problem is, Arsenal have been so inconsistent this season that there’s a real chance they could lose to a team like Lincoln City. If they give Lincoln the same opportunities that they gave Sutton, it could be a close game.

Lincoln City have slain their share of giants already, but none as big as Arsenal. They’ll show up on Saturday with nothing to lose, and at +3300 odds, they’re definitely worth a taste.

Pick: Lincoln City (+3300)