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LONDON. — A plastic pitch, a vulnerable heavyweight and minnows with giant-killing pedigree could conspire to produce one of the great FA Cup shocks when Arsenal visit non-league Sutton United tonight. The match kicks-off at 9:45pm. Arsenal approach the fifth-round tie reeling from last Wednesday’s 5-1 humiliation by Bayern Munich and with manager Arsene Wenger closer to the exit door than ever before.

Sutton stunned Coventry City, FA Cup winners 19 months previously, in 1989 and Micky Stephens, who played in that game and is now assistant manager, says they will approach Monday’s match with a similar mentality.

“It’s very difficult to stop them, but you don’t want to give the players too much information,” he said.

“I didn’t want to know too much when I played against Coventry. I wanted to know about the weaknesses, but not the strengths of the Coventry players.

“Everyone will know their strengths. All we can ask of our players is that they do their best.”

Sutton currently sit 17th in the fifth tier, 105 places below Arsenal in the English football pyramid, and have reached the fifth round for the first time. — AFP.