Preview: Mansfield Town look for biggest of giant killings as they host Arsenal in FA Cup | OneFootball

Mansfield Town will look to continue their giant-killing FA Cup spree yet face the tall order of Premier League leaders Arsenal in their fifth round tie at Field Mill.

Two second half goals saw the League One side dump top flight side Burnley out of the cup last month, to make it into the fifth round of the competition for the first time since 1975.

Mansfield’s journey to this stage also took big wins against Championship side Sheffield United, coming out on top in a 4-3 classic, Accrington Stanley via penalties, and Harrogate Town.

They will need to look towards the talents of Louis Reed, whose stunning free-kick against the Clarets last time out was awarded the goal of the fourth round.

Reed also has three goals in the competition so far putting him among the competition’s top scorers.

Mansfield currently sit 16th in League One, three places ahead of Arsenal’s last round opponents Wigan Athletic. Nigel Clough’s side have a domestic record of 10 wins, 11 draws and 12 defeats, with three losses in their last five.

Their last game was a goalless outing against Rotherham which saw the Stags fail to climb into the top half of the table.

Ahead of his side facing Arsenal, Clough has stated his excitement of coming head to head against another strong squad.

Speaking in preview of Saturdays fixture, Clough said: ”When you see the tie on paper, it looks pretty special. It’s sort of what the FA cup is all about.”

Clough faces Arsenal for the first time as a manager, but he does have history with this tie specifically in the FA Cup.

His father, Brian Clough, managed his final ever FA Cup game against Arsenal back in 1993 before retiring after 18 years at Nottingham Forest – a game Nigel played in himself.

The Gunners, whose 14 FA Cup wins best any other side, beat both Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic in the competition so far, and are looking to secure their first piece of silverware since they won the competition back in 2020.

It remains possible to march to a historic quadruple and Arsenal come into the tie having beaten Brighton and Chelsea to build on a massive win over north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, where the Gunners ran out 4-1 winners.

Arteta’s side currently sit seven points ahead of second placed Man City. Despite the Citizens having a game in had advantage it is looking more likely than ever that Arsenal will take home their first Premier League title since 2004.

The game will kick off at 12:30 (GMT) on Saturday, with live coverage on TNT Sports.