Mikel Arteta warned Arsenal‘s reputation could be damaged if they are knocked out of the FA Cup by League One side Mansfield Town on Saturday.
Arsenal were beaten in the third round by Nottingham Forest, then of the Championship, in 2018 and again in 2022 and have progressed beyond the fourth round only once since 2017.
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Victory in the competition in 2020 during Arteta’s first season in charge was the club’s last trophy and the pressure is on to finally end a six-year wait for silverware.
They face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on March 22, one of four trophies they remain in the hunt for, with the Premier League and Champions League also in their sights.
Mansfield have already knocked out top-flight opposition this season in Burnley while they also won away at Sheffield United.
Should Nigel Clough’s side spring another upset at One Call Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, Arteta fears there could be consequences for the rest of his team’s campaign.
“We’ve been knocked out a few times in a difficult way and it’s a terrible feeling,” said Arteta, whose side exited to Manchester United in last season’s third round. “It feels like it damages your reputation. We don’t want to go through that.”
Arsenal have already beaten League One opposition in Wigan in the fourth round, albeit at home, while they also came through a tricky tie away to Portsmouth of the Championship, making this their longest cup run since winning it six years ago.
“I’ve been long enough in this country to understand that being favourite doesn’t mean anything,” said Arteta. “When it comes to that competition, at that time of day, in that ground, I know they’re going to have the belief and the conviction that they can beat us. We need to be very well prepared.”
The pitch at One Call Stadium was in particularly poor condition during Mansfield’s last home game, a 2-2 draw against AFC Wimbledon last Saturday, with a wet start to 2026 having taken a heavy toll on the surface.
“It’s normal,” said Arteta. “It’s the beauty of this competition. You have to go there, you have to adapt. We’ve all played in those stadiums. We need to adapt to the context and make the most of it.”
Mansfield boss Clough is the son of two-time European Cup winner Brian Clough, who as well as making European champions of Forest in 1979 and 1980, also brought the club their only top division title in 1978.
Asked whether he knew much of the Clough family heritage, Arteta said: “I will read much more after tomorrow. I’m always very interested when I read the reports, to understand the history and the values they have, to understand better what they will try to do.”
