Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of Arsenal's FA Cup quarter-final visit of Watford.
The Emirates plays host as both London outfits battle it out for a spot in the semi-final,
The winner will be joined in the last four by Crystal Palace, Everton, and Manchester United or West Ham, who play at Old Trafford later on this afternoon.
12.32pmLet's call a spade a spade: it'd be a miracle if Arsenal claw back the eight points on Leicester and win the Premier League. And if that's a miracle, lord knows what they need in order to overturn a 2-0 deficit away to Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League. That's why the visit of Watford in this afternoon's FA Cup quarter-final is perhaps their biggest game of the season - it's basically all they have left, my friends. Win and they still have a season. Lose and that Vine of Ian Beale crying will inevitably get dusted off and spread across Twitter.
12.35pmIndeed, it has been a horrendous last few weeks and months for the Gunners, whose season has gone more belly up than Steve Bruce floating on a lilo. Back-to-back defeats by Manchester United and Swansea City in late February/early March effectively put paid to their hopes of a first league title since 2004. They did restore some pride by holding second-placed Spurs to a 2-2 draw last Saturday, after Francis Coquelin was sent off, but one point wasn't enough; they needed three and Leicester now sit eight ahead of them with nine games to go.
12.38pmThey go to Camp Nou in midweek knowing they've no chance of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with Barcelona boasting a 2-0 first-leg lead. He won't, will he? Surely Wenger won't rest his big names today in the hope they can salvage it in Catalunya? A sane man wouldn't, but Wenger, as we know, is a little bid mad and nothing can be ruled out. But let's see if he has the stones to turn the fans against him even more by naming an under-strength XI.
12.41pmARSENAL XI: Ospina; Chambers, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Gibbs; Elneny, Coquelin, Joel Campbell, Ozil, Alexis, Giroud
12.42pmWATFORD XI: Gomes (GK); Nyom, Prödl, Cathcart, Ake; Watson, Behrami; Capoue, Deeney (c), Guedioura; Ighalo.
12.44pmARSENAL SUBS: Macey, Bellerin, Monreal, Flamini, Iwobi, Walcott, Welbeck
12.45pmWATFORD SUBS: Pantilimon (GK), Anya, Suarez, Abdi, Jurado, Amrabat, Oulare
12.48pmHmm, it's a mix of mad Wenger and sane Wenger so it seems. First-choice full backs Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal are benched for Callum Chambers and Kieran Gibbs, which is odd, but Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are present in attack. Olivier Giroud, who scored twice in the replay at Hull, retains his place as the spearhead, while Theo Walcott - who also bagged a brace at the KC Stadium - drops out. Danny Welbeck is on the bench.
12.50pmThe eagle-eyed among you will have also noticed that in-form Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny keeps his place as the injured Aaron Ramsey - sidelined for a month - sits this one out.
12.53pmWenger flagged up the threat of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo during the week. The bad news for him is that the pair - who have 24 goals between them in all competitions - both start at the Emirates. Adlène Guedioura and Valon Behrami are also present, while Ben Watson and Etienne Capoue line up in central midfield.
12.56pmI suppose the worry for Arsenal here is that Watford will want this as much as them. Sure, this is their first season back in the top flight, but they're perfectly safe from relegation. It isn't a case of Quique Sanchez Flores having one eye on staying in the Premier League. Nope. Both eyes will be on Arsenal and a spot in the semi-finals and the hosts can expect a tough match here. Flores has done a wonderful job so far and make no mistake about it, Watford are a banana skin.
12.59pmThey sit 14th in the Premier League table, a full 12 points clear of the relegation zone and three behind Chelsea in 10th. What a first season it would be if they could finish in the top half. Well, any first season back in the big time that doesn't involve relegation is a big success in itself, but they've known they'd be safe for quite a while now so it might be a tad bit unambitious to not try to finish as high as possible.
1.03pmHEAD TO HEAD: Let's look at how both sides have fared against one another now and we can confirm that the Gunners have won each of the last six meetings - including a 3-0 win at Vicarage Road earlier in the campaign. Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud did the damage there.
1.06pmInterestingly, the Hornets have not beaten their fellow Londoners since 1988 - the year I was born, incase you wanted to know something mildly interesting about your host. Can they end that 28-year hoodoo? Time will tell.
1.10pmDID YOU KNOW? If a 28-year unbeaten record wasn't enough to make Arsenal fans feel confident, then chew on this my friends: Mesut Ozil has NEVER lost an FA Cup. Okay so it's hardly like Ryan Giggs never losing an FA Cup match, given that this is only Ozil's third season in North London, but the Gunners, aiming for a third successive title, have participated in a lot of FA Cup games between 2014 and now. Ominous for Watford?
1.13pmRectangular nets? That's so March 12 2016. This is March 13 2016 and Arsenal's crossbar resembles something of an arch this afternoon. Or it could just be a camera trick. Who knows.
Emirates Stadium pre match #afc #FACup https://t.co/muh8hnV3CR
— Stuart MacFarlane (@Stuart_PhotoAFC) March 13, 2016
1.16pmHopefully the Arsenal players did, but you never know how well prepared this mob are.
I had no idea I was waking up to an Arsenal game 😍
— Dalton Sweet (@hotelsweetmusic) March 13, 2016
1.19pm
Kicking back and getting ready to watch @Arsenal play 😬
— Umar Younas (@UY5STAR) March 13, 2016
1.23pmRichie's got a good head on his shoulders.
Arsenal v Watford, my thoughts are a home win. It'll be a close game because Watford generally give a good account of themselves. #FACup
— Richie O' Donovan (@goalkeeping_god) March 13, 2016
1.25pmRight, five minutes to go folks. Will the Gunners wreck their only viable hope of silverware, or will the dream of a third successive FA Cup remain alive? We'll know in about two hours.
1.28pm
Late change to the #watfordfc starting line-up here at the Emirates Stadium. Pantilimon starts in goal, not Gomes.
— Watford FC (@WatfordFC) March 13, 2016
1 minKICKOFF: It's a beautiful day in North London and we're off. Watford, draped in black, kick us off. Let's go.
3 minIt's a fast and furious start from the Gunners and they're almost in. It's good work from Campbell and Chambers down the right, with the latter drilling a ball into the box but Sebastian Prodl clears it before Giroud can reach it. Excellent start by the hosts.
5 minWatford defender Nathan Ake has lost a boot already, but providing he keeps his head he'll be alright. Concentration is massive for the visitors - especially their defenders.
7 min"We've got Ozil" chant the Arsenal fans. Maybe they're reminding Watford because we haven't seen a great deal of the slinky German as of yet. Early days, though.
9 minArsenal's right-hand side looks like a real avenue of promise for the hosts. Sanchez plays in right-back Chambers, though his cross slices well wide for a goal kick. Sanchez has looked promising early doors, too.
11 minOFFSIDE GOAL: Watson is the most relieved man in North London right now. He cheaply loses possession to Ozil, whose ball to Campbell is eventually curled into Sanchez, with the Chilean slipping in Giroud who finishes well, but it's offside. Arsenal are up for this. Make no mistake about it.
13 minHmm. Sebastian Prodl wastes a free kick by passing straight out for a throw-in. It sums up the visitors' first 13 minutes or so. They've not been able to get a grip as of yet.
17 minWatford need to do something down their left-hand side. Arsenal, and Chambers in particular, getting plenty of joy as he swings in another cross, but Pantilimon claims it with ease.
20 minWe said Nathan Ake had to keep his head, after losing his boot earlier, and the youngster is well switched on here as he dives in to nick the ball away from Campbell before he can turn home Gibbs's cross. Great defending.
23 minChambers, yet again, is completely free down Watford's left-hand side, and the ex-Southampton youth drills a really good ball across the face of goal, but Pantilimon dives on it before Giroud can prod it home. Sanchez Flores needs to change something.
26 minSanchez has had a fine first 25 minutes, but this pass has the Emirates collectively sighing after it goes straight to Watson and the attack breaks down. He'll be hugely relieved, because Ighalo fluffs a decent opening at the other end seconds later. Watford are comfortably second best, but they've had a bit of joy in Arsenal's final third. Sooner Arsenal score, the better for them.
28 minOh my word. If not for a shocking bit of refereeing then Arsenal are down to 10 men. It's a 50-50 ball between Deeney and Gabriel, with the latter lunging into it with both feet off the ground. It was just a matter of feet from Andre Marriner, who didn't even give a foul. That's a big, big moment.
31 minCHANCE! First real chance of the contest as Chambers plays a fine pass to Elneny, but the Egyptian, going at goal from an angle, slices horribly wide of Costel Pantilimon's goal. Should be 1-0.
33 minWe said Watford had been getting plenty of joy in Arsenal's third, and here's another chance gone begging as Ighalo fail to pick out the unmarked Deeney on the edge of Arsenal's box. The Nigerian took too long and the opportunity is wasted again.
36 minArsenal continue in the same vein, plenty of possession deep in the visitors' half, but there's no end product. 0-0 at the break represents good news for Watford, but there's a ways to go before they hear the half-time whistle.
40 minCHANCE! Sublime bit of skill from Ozil puts in Campbell, who lays it off to Elneny but the Egyptian fires over from the edge of the area. They've had chances, Arsenal - both from Elneny as it happens.
43 minCHANCE! Oh my lord what a ridiculous pass from Ozil, who plays in Campbell with a rifled through ball, but the Costa Rican winger prods over the crossbar. Arsenal's tails are up but Watford will be saved by the bell - or the whistle - I think. That pass, though.
2.17pmHALF TIME: Arsenal 0-0 Watford
2.20pmWe're no closer to finding out who joins Everton and Crystal Palace in the semis as stubborn Watford hold Arsenal to a 0-0 half-time draw. Mohamed Elneny fluffed two really good chances for the hosts, but the Hornets have held on. Fair play to them. The Gunners need something more after the break. Ozil and Joel Campbell been outstanding, while Nathan Ake has been the visitors' best performer. Odion Ighalo, whose dithering in possession has cost them some fine chances, has been their worst.
45 minRight, we're back underway at the Emirates. Can Watford hold out for another 45 minutes? We'll find out.
47 minCLOSE! We didn't see much of Giroud in the first half, but the Frenchman reminds Watford of his threat with a thumping header which narrowly misses the crossbar. As you you were for the hosts.
50 minGOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Watford (Ighalo)
51 minNow then. This has really put the cat amongst the pigeons, and it's a soft, soft goal for the hosts to concede as Deeney's flick-on, from the throw-in, is met by Ighalo, who swivels Gabriel far too easily and pokes past Ospina from six yards out. Is Arsenal's season on the brink of collapse?
54 minCHANCE! Rest on their laurels are they? Sitting back and inviting pressure are they? Absolutely not. It's nearly 2-0! But Ighalo volleys over the bar from close range. Arsenal, who have won the last two FA Cup titles, are on the ropes here.
57 minArsenal still have plenty of possession but there's just no cutting edge. None at all. If I'm a Watford fan, I'm confident of seeing this one out - and even scoring again. They're not at the races.
60 minOh my word it's nearly 2-0 as Ake drills across the face of goal, but it's beyond the reach of Ighalo and the attack breaks down.
62 minLads, Ighalo is causing havoc here. Gabriel and Mertesacker are going to have nightmares about the bloke tonight.
64 minGOAL! Arsenal 0-2 Watford (Adlène Guedioura)
65 minGame, set and match? Wow. What a strike this is as Guedioura smashes past David Ospina from an impossible angle! Arsenal are heading out of the FA Cup, unless something quite miraculous happens.
67 minCLOSE! Brilliant ball in by Chambers but Giroud, from point-blank range, fails to convert.
68 minSUBS: Here come the boys, the soldiers entrusted with the task of retrieving Arsenal's FA Cup hopes as Walcott, Welbeck and Iwobi come in.
71 minArsenal fans are furious as Etienne Capoue goes down injured. They think it's a cynical ploy to kill some minutes. We're back underway now.
75 minRight, 15 minutes to go but it's ever so hard to see Arsenal getting back into this. There's no outlet for them without Giroud, while Alexis Sanchez is hardly in the game. Problem is, Arsenal players will want the final whistle. They'll want to get out of here as soon as possible.
78 minWatford have a corner now. Actually, they have the ball, and Arsenal, exactly where they want it. Walcott defends the corner but Watford have it back. I can see them scoring a third.
82 minCHANCE! Arsenal needed this to go in, but Kieran Gibbs' header is straight at Pantilimon. That's as close as Arsenal have come. It's been an abject display from the hosts and plenty of supporters are leaving the stadium now.
84 minCHANCE! This is so, so close to Chambers, who looks to side foot home, but it's deflected wide. Sums up Arsenal's afternoon.
87 minSAVE! Ikechi Anya has the chance to wrap it up, but Ospina saves. Is it too late anyway? We reckon so.
89 minGOAL! Arsenal 1-2 Watford (Danny Welbeck)
90 minThere's a few minutes for Arsenal to save their FA Cup prospects as Welbeck finishes well past Pantilimon. Can they do it? It's a big next five minutes in Arsenal's season - in Wenger's career!
90 minOFF THE POST! Oh my word how have Watford survived? Iwobi pings the post, but Welbeck has a chance to salvage a draw but he swivels and blazes over the bar.
90 + 3 minIt's a fast and furious end to this clash but it looks like being too little too late for Arsenal, but there might yet be another twist...
3.25pmFULL TIME: That's it! Arsenal are out of the FA Cup as Watford hold on to reach the semi-finals. What a cup tie that was I'm sure you'll agree. That's all from us. Stay tuned for reaction and whatnot, but until next time folks...
