The “magic of the cup” heads to the south coast on Sunday as Premier League leaders Arsenal travel to Fratton Park to face Championship strugglers Portsmouth in a nostalgic third-round showdown.
For the Gunners, 14-time winners of the competition, this fixture offers a chance to sweep aside the “third-round jitters” that have haunted them for the last two seasons. Mikel Arteta’s side arrives fresh from a tactical 0-0 stalemate against Liverpool on Thursday night, a result that kept them six points clear at the top of the table.
Meanwhile, John Mousinho’s Portsmouth find themselves in a precarious 21st place in the Championship, viewing this sell-out tie as a welcome, if daunting, distraction from their fierce relegation scrap. With a hostile atmosphere expected at Fratton Park, Arsenal must remain professional to avoid becoming the biggest casualty of the round.
Portsmouth vs Arsenal – FA Cup Preview and Team News
- Date: Sunday, 11 January 2026
- Kick-off: 14:00 GMT
- Venue: Fratton Park, Portsmouth
- Referee: Tony Harrington
- VAR: Not in operation
- Last Meeting: Portsmouth 0–2 Arsenal (2 March 2020) — FA Cup
Team News
Portsmouth
John Mousinho is navigating a catastrophic injury crisis. Midfielder Mark Kosznovszky is out for the season with a severe knee injury. He joins centre-backs Hayden Matthews (ankle surgery) and Josh Knight (back) on a growing list of absentees that includes Callum Lang, Josh Murphy, Florian Bianchini, and Thomas Waddingham. Captain Marlon Pack and top scorer Colby Bishop remain major doubts and will undergo late fitness tests.
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta is expected to make wholesale changes—potentially as many as nine—to rest first-team regulars following the midweek clash with Liverpool. Riccardo Calafiori (muscle), Cristhian Mosquera (ankle), and youngster Max Dowman (ankle) are ruled out. Piero Hincapié is also a major doubt after being forced off against Liverpool with a hamstring issue. On a positive note, Kai Havertz is on course for the matchday squad as he recovers his match fitness.
Form
Portsmouth
Despite their league position, Pompey have shown remarkable resilience at home, losing only one of their last six matches at Fratton Park (W3 D2). Notably, Portsmouth are winless in their last 22 competitive meetings with Arsenal, a drought stretching back to a 5-4 victory in March 1958. Mousinho will hope the partisan home crowd can bridge the gap between the Championship’s bottom three and the Premier League’s summit.
Arsenal
Arsenal boast the best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding just 14 goals in 21 games so far this term. However, they have struggled in the early rounds of this competition lately, being eliminated in the FA Cup third round in each of the last two seasons. Arteta will be desperate to avoid a repeat of those exits and maintain momentum for their ongoing title charge.
Predicted Lineups
Portsmouth predicted XI: Schmid; Devlin, Shaughnessy, Poole, Swanson; Dozzell, Pack; Segecic, Chaplin, Blair; Bishop
Arsenal predicted XI: Arrizabalaga; White, Salmon, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Merino, Norgaard, Eze; Madueke, Martinelli, Jesus
How to watch Portsmouth vs Arsenal?
The match will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+, with coverage starting at 13:30 GMT.
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