Arsene Wenger is preparing for another emotional day of FA Cup action as he sets about Arsenal's defence of the trophy against the Hull team they defeated in last season's thrilling Wembley Final.
Hull manager Steve Bruce was at the draw last month and was stunned to witness the remarkable coincidence as the two sides were paired together again, just minutes after they had also been picked out against each other in the rehearsal for this year's Third Round selections.
For Wenger, May's 3-2 win ended an nine-year wait without a trophy – not long for most clubs but a while for one of the Premier League's most successful managers.
Arsenal v Hull City
The FA Cup
Third Round Proper
5.30pm, Sunday 4 January 2015
Emirates Stadium
Live on BBC One
Winners will receive £67,500
He said: "It was [emotional for me], because we didn't win a trophy for years.
"Other people wanted that as well, of course. After we were 2-0 down after 10 minutes, they nearly scored the third goal. When you know football you have very little chances to win, so the fact that we could turn it around and win was a fantastic relief.
"I think we were highly focused on The FA Cup last year, we knew it was the kind of trophy we could win. We have a difficult one on Sunday. We have to be cautious because Hull City is a difficult team to play and it is a replay of The Final."
He continued: "It was nice to see our fans happy at Wembley. It shows you how big the club is when you win and when you don't win as well. When you don't win they cannot turn up happy. It's a great remembrance but we have another big job to do on Sunday.
"Of course it's important, we want another Cup run and if possible keep the trophy. We've won it five times in my period so that means we give it the importance."
Wenger is likely to be without injured strikers Yaya Sanogo and Danny Welbeck, while Olivier Giroud is suspended.
He has options with forward players such as Theo Walcott, Chuba Akpom and Joel Campbell available, but has already decided to bring goalkeepers David Ospina and Emi Martinez into his squad.
Hull manager Steve Bruce is also battling against a growing injury list after the rush of fixtures over the Christmas period, but insisted: "We are playing Arsenal so it's a big Cup tie and we will enjoy it and see what it produces.
"It was a great spectacle on the day last May and I think it will be remembered for that, but we weren't quite good enough on the day."
