Arsenal are set to welcome to the Emirates Stadium Wigan Athletic on Sunday, February 15, 2026 – kick off is at 2:00 PM GMT (3:00 PM WAT). The top-of-the-Premier-League Gunners, under the guidance of Mikel Arteta, take on League One opposition in this FA Cup fourth-round tie. In recent years, Arsenal have been – to say the least – quite ruthless in cup competitions and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them coast through against lower-league opposition.
Match Summary
As we all know, Arsenal are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League with one of the best home records in the division and they have already shown their cup pedigree this season with a string of convincing wins in earlier rounds.
The Gunners have a pretty impressive record going back to the fourth-round ties too – they’ve won all their last seven FA Cup fourth-round ties, and remain unbeaten against League One sides at the Emirates in recent times.
Now, Wigan Athletic, who’ve been doing alright for themselves in the top half of League One, have a massive step up in quality to contend with. While they’re to be commended for reaching this stage, the gulf in class against a full-strength Arsenal side is going to be a real challenge.
You can expect Mikel Arteta to bring in some fresh faces, giving a few of his regulars the weekend off, but I’m pretty sure he’ll still be bringing quality on to the pitch. The Emirates crowd will be hoping to see goals and a professional performance as Arsenal go in search of another deep FA Cup run.
Arsenal vs Wigan Head to Head stats:
Arsenal have been pretty much untouchable against Wigan since 2013 – they’ve won every competitive meeting against them, usually with a pretty convincing scoreline when at home
Possible Lineups
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya / Hein – Timber, Saliba / Kiwior, Gabriel / Calafiori, Zinchenko / Tierney – Ødegaard / Jorginho, Rice / Partey, Merino – Martinelli, Nketiah / Havertz, Trossard
Mikel Arteta is expected to give some of his regulars a breather, so keep an eye out for whether he starts Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and William Saliba on the bench or gives them a rest altogether. Youngsters like Nuno Tavares, Reiss Nelson, and Fabio Vieira could be given a run out.
Wigan Athletic (4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2): Tabb – Thompson, Rekik, Tilt, Iandolo – Sessegnon, Power – Eze, Humphrys, Godden – Lang
Wigan don’t have any major injury concerns going into this one, so it’s likely they’ll name their strongest available XI. Expect Callum Lang and Jonny Smith to be the ones they rely on to provide the main attacking threat on the counter.
Prediction
Even with a very different lineup, it’s hard to see how League One opposition will be able to contain Arsenal for 90 minutes. With their massive depth and quality, the Gunners should still be far too strong for Wigan.
You can bet the Arsenal attacking players will want to make a statement, and with the Emirates crowd behind them, you can expect plenty of goals. Wigan will probably try to keep things tight and then hit on the break, but it’s going to be tough for them to keep up with Arsenal for 90 minutes.
I’m thinking a pretty comfortable home win with multiple goalscorers across the pitch.
Final score prediction: Arsenal 4-0 Wigan Athletic
