Arsenal journey to League One club Mansfield in the round of 16 of the FA Cup. Catch every moment with our real-time play-by-play and bulletins…
Arsenal aim to prevent one of the major upsets in FA Cup record books when they visit Mansfield this lunchtime.
Mikel Arteta’s squad is arguably peerless in Europe currently, leading both the Premier League and their group in the initial phase of the Champions League, despite ongoing critique of their tactical approach.
The Gunners could yet secure a quadruple, but to maintain this aspiration, they will have to conquer a challenging round-of-16 encounter at Field Mill.
Mansfield have already defeated one Premier League team in Burnley; however, their recent performance is lacking in League One, having not secured a victory in their past nine fixtures.
Mansfield v Arsenal anticipated starting elevens
Mansfield Town initial lineup: Liam Roberts, Kyle Knoyle, Adedeji Oshilaja, Frazer Blake-Tracy, Lucas Akins, Aaron Lewis, Louis Reed, Stephen McLaughlin, Will Evans, Tyler Roberts, Rhys Oates
Arsenal initial lineup: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cristhian Mosquera, Marli Ellis Salmon, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori, Eberechi Eze, Christian Norgaard, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard
Viewing options for Mansfield v Arsenal: TV channel, real-time digital broadcasts
The match commences on Saturday at 12:15 GMT (07:15 ET / 04:15 PT). Direct television transmission across the UK will be available via TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and the Discovery Plus app.
TNT Sports is priced at £29.99 monthly via Discovery Plus, encompassing Eurosport and a variety of entertainment content, and is accessible across numerous platforms, such as intelligent televisions and video game systems.
Eberechi Eze sees everything 🔍
Incredible vision from the Arsenal number 10 to feed Noni Madueke 👏#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/ksQektlltU
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 18, 2026
Mansfield v Arsenal statistics
- These clubs previously encountered each other on one occasion, with Arsenal securing a 2-0 victory on their home ground in an FA Cup round of 32 fixture in January 1929
- Midfielder Louis Reed has netted three times in Mansfield’s previous two fixtures, including a stunning free-kick to level the score at Burnley
- Rhys Oates found the net in both of those contests and is Town’s shared leading goal-scorer in League One (six goals) with his attacking counterpart Will Evans
- Mansfield have failed to win in their last nine league encounters (D6 L3) following a sequence of four consecutive wins between December and January as part of a nine-game undefeated streak across all tournaments
- Their previous two games have resulted in stalemates. Town established a lead on two occasions on the way to a four-goal draw against Wimbledon at home on February 28 prior to their deadlock against Rotherham
- Having secured 14 trophies, Arsenal are the most decorated club in the FA Cup, surpassing Manchester United (13)
- They have appeared in the final on more occasions (21) than any club apart from United (22)
- The Gunners have claimed three consecutive wins subsequent to their triumph at Brighton in the Premier League and are undefeated in ten competitive fixtures (W8 D2)
- Subsequent to a 2-1 league loss at Aston Villa on December 6, Arsenal are unbeaten in a dozen away fixtures across all competitions (W9 D3)
- This marks the first time Arsenal have progressed past the fourth stage since their 2-1 final victory over Chelsea in Arteta’s inaugural season at the helm in 2019/20, having been defeated by lower-tier opposition in that timeframe when they suffered a 1-0 elimination at Nottingham Forest – at that time a Championship team – in the 2021/22 round of 64