TEAM NEWS

Arsenal pair Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi have both been struggling with illness and could miss out.

The Gunners will assess Mesut Ozil, who complained of sickness after Tuesday’s defeat by Bayern Munich.

Lincoln are without Peterborough loanee Lee Angol, who scored a hat-trick on debut against Braintree on Tuesday but is cup-tied for Saturday’s match.

Regular starters Nathan Arnold and Matt Rhead should return after dropping to the bench in midweek.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on criticism from supporters: “I have worked very hard for 20 years to make our fans happy and when you lose the games, I understand they are not happy.

“I do not want to judge that, I am not able to. I live in my daily work with my complete commitment.

“I think I’ve shown since I’m here that first of all I love this club, that I’m loyal to this club and that I make the right decisions for this club.”

Lincoln manager Danny Cowley on Wenger: “He’s forgotten more than I know. He’s a pioneer.

“We’ve got huge respect for him as a man and as a manager.

“If we get on the right side of the result, it would be the biggest upset in the history of the greatest cup competition in the world.”

Head-to-head

• The sides have not met in a competitive fixture since 1915 and this will be the first encounter in the FA Cup.
• The 26 previous games between the sides all came in the second tier, with Arsenal winning 13 times and Lincoln claiming six victories.
• The Imps have never won away to Arsenal, losing 10 and drawing three of 13 matches.

Arsenal

• Arsenal have only lost one FA Cup tie against a lower league club under Arsene Wenger – against Blackburn, of the Championship, in the fifth round in 2013.
• The last time the Gunners lost to non-league opposition in the FA Cup was in 1911, when – as Woolwich Arsenal – they lost in round two to Swindon of the Southern League.
• They have reached this stage of the FA Cup 12 times under Arsene Wenger, progressing to the semi-finals on 10 occasions.
• The Gunners have won 18 of their last 20 matches in the FA Cup (D1, L1).
• Theo Walcott has scored six times in his last four FA Cup appearances – although his last FA Cup goal at the Emirates was in January 2012 against Aston Villa.

Lincoln City

• Lincoln are the first non-league side to reach the last eight of the FA Cup since 1914 – when QPR (of the Southern League) were beaten at what was then called the fourth round (it was the equivalent of the quarter-finals).
• The last non-league team to play in an FA Cup semi-final were Swindon in 1912.
• The last time a non-league team eliminated two top-flight sides in a single FA Cup campaign was in 1914, when Millwall knocked out Chelsea and Bradford City.
• They have lost just two of their last of their last 24 games in all competitions (W19, D3).
• They scored with their only shot on target against Burnley in the last round.

Source: bbc.co.uk

See more here