Arsene Wenger insists his Arsenal team are determined to avoid another Cup upset against lower league opposition and says they will need to be at their best if they are to beat Coventry.
The north London club were knocked out by Blackburn in the Fifth Round last season - their first defeat against a lower league side since Wenger took charge of the club.
Wenger has managed to transform the club’s fortunes around this season and they are currently top of the Premier League and stand every chance of winning major silverware for the first time since 2005.
Arsenal v Coventry
FA Cup with Budweiser
Fourth Round Proper
Emirates Stadium
Friday, 8pm
Coventry provide the opposition for Arsenal at Emirates Stadium and despite their position in League One, Wenger knows his team cannot take anything for granted and says they will be fully prepared for a tough encounter in front of the televised cameras.
Wenger said: “Last year was a big disappointment. It was the first time in 16 years that we lost against lower league opposition in the FA Cup. It was a great warning and at the moment it's just our next game and we want to win it.
“I know much more than you think about Coventry City. When I arrived here they were playing in the Premier League and were one of the good teams. I played against them and had many difficult games against them.
“About the modern Coventry City I must confess I don't know a lot. I read an article about their manager last week but I will know much more and we will be educated to know more about them.
“We have to prepare, because we are on a good run. We are still in a moment of our lifetime, this team, where we want to gain respect, and through our attitude that is the best way to gain respect.
“If you have two or three divisions difference in basketball, rugby, volleyball or handball, you cannot do it, but in football you can, and that makes it so unpredictable.”
Coventry will play in front of a sell-out crowd at Emirates Stadium and Wenger has nothing but praise for the way both sets of supporters have gone out of their way to support their team on a Friday night.
Wenger added: “It is just an indication of how big this club is. I have absolutely total respect that people on a Friday night come to this game and that it is a sell-out. It is absolutely fantastic.”
Wenger has won the FA Cup four times as Arsenal manager and still believes it is one of the biggest cup competitions in world football.
The 64-year-old can still recall watching matches when he was growing up in France and says it will always be a special competition for him to take part in.
He said: “The only competition I could watch in France when I was a kid was the English FA Cup Final. On black and white television, every year we saw the cup final. That’s a very prestigious competition for me.
“I just remember that I was always admiring Wembley’s pitch because I used to play on really bad pitches and the white ball was for me a dream to have this kind of ball.
“I played with a ball with laces at the time so that was always something special to watch.”
