Despite the amount English football enthusiasts pretend, the lure of the FA Cup is no more. That, however, won't prevent Reading and Arsenal from locking horns on Saturday. The semifinal clash scheduled for 12:20 p.m. ET can be live streamed here free.
What's At Stake
In completely unrelated news, Jurgen Klopp has decided to step down as manager of Borussia Dortmund at season's end.
Did we say "unrelated?" Because it probably won't be should Arsenal fail to advance to the final of the FA Cup. The Frenchman will undoubtedly win the 17th consecutive fourth-place trophy of his London tenure. With Chelsea's commanding lead in the Premier League table, however, the possibility is there for Wenger to finish another season trophyless.
No Premier League title, no league cup title, a Champions League exit at the hands of AS Monaco and elimination from the FA Cup in Reading?
If any manager could survive such a lackluster campaign, it's Wenger. But the added wrinkle of Klopp looking for employment could be enough for the other shoe to drop in London.
The In-Form Player
Maybe all Mesut Ozil needed in his life was a little night life. The 26-year-old is amidst the best run of form in his Arsenal career. Currently one of the top 20 in-form midfielders in England, Ozil has five assists and an average of 2.6 key passes this campaign.
Projected Lineups
Reading (4-4-2): Federici; Obita, Pearce, Hector, Gunter; Kanu, Williams, Norwood, McCleary; Pogrebnyak, Cox
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Monreal, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Debuchy; Coquelin, Cazorla; Sanchez, Ozil, Ramsey; Giroud
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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