FA Cup semi-finals

Ahead of Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final against Wigan at Wembley, we take a look at Arsenal's record in the last four of this famous competition.

Arsenal will equal the record for appearances in the FA Cup semi-final this weekend, appearing in the fixture for the 27th time.

The Gunners will tie Manchester United's record when they take on Wigan on Saturday, and are looking for their 18th appearance in the FA Cup final, which would also equal United's record for final appearances.

Seven of our previous semi-finals needed at least one replay, so the overall record in the last four of the FA Cup is P35, W17, D9, L9, F44, A32.

The first time Arsenal reached this stage was 1906, when the semi-final was actually the fifth round of the competition (it's currently the seventh round). Woolwich Arsenal lost 2-0 to Newcastle that year, and the following season lost 3-1 to Sheffield Wednesday at the same stage.

It was another 20 years until Arsenal next made it as far, and this time they triumphed, 2-1 over Southampton, to book their first FA Cup final date.

Between 1930 and 1972 Arsenal won every FA Cup semi-final they played - seven in all - and won the cup four times during that spell.

The semi-finals are usually close affairs. The two teams have only been separated by more than one goal once in the past 10 matches. Arsenal's biggest win in a semi-final is 3-0, recorded three times, including the last time the Gunners won at this stage - against Blackburn Rovers at the Millennium Stadium in 2005.

This will be Arsenal's fourth FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, having won one of the previous three. The last three were all against London sides - Tottenham (1991 and 1993) and Chelsea (2009).

In all competitions this will be Arsenal's 12th Wembley appearance under Arsène Wenger, and their 44th in all. The record is: W20, D3, L20, F61, A46 - which includes pre-season friendlies and war-time football. Looking purely at first-class official games, the record is: P35, W14, D3, L18, F42, A43.

Theo Walcott is the last player to score at Wembley for Arsenal while the team's last victory at the national stadium came in September 1999 (before the stadium was rebuilt) - a 3-1 win over AIK Solna in the Champions League group stage. Freddie Ljungberg, Davor Suker and Thierry Henry were our scorers that night. John Lukic (now 53) was an unused sub for the Gunners.

Of the previous 35 matches Arsenal have played in the FA Cup semi-finals, only nine (26 per cent) have been played in London, with Arsenal usually travelling north for these fixtures.

In all, 14 different venues have been used for our semi-finals, with Villa Park hosting the largest proportion (34 per cent). Arsenal have a winning record there (W5 D4 L3), but Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge have also proved successful grounds for the Gunners, with 100 per cent records at both.

Old Trafford was the venue the last time Arsenal met lower-league opposition in the semi-final. Championship side Sheffield United were beaten 1-0 in 2003, in David Seaman's 1,000th professional appearance.

Ljungberg scored the winner that day, but the match is best remembered for a superb save by Seaman from Paul Peschisolido, which Peter Schmeichel described as "the best save I have ever seen".

This will be the Gunners' ninth FA Cup semi-final under Arsène Wenger (33 per cent of the Club's all-time total) and the Club's 18th cup semi-final in all competitions since the manager arrived in 1996.

Arsenal have progressed from nine of those previous semi-finals, so this season the Gunners are looking for their 10th cup final appearance in all competitions under Wenger.

In the FA Cup, Arsenal have progressed to the final five times out of eight since 1996, and Wenger has won four of those finals. He's the only Arsenal manager to lift the FA Cup more than once, and in the modern era, only Sir Alex Ferguson has won the cup more times (five).

This weekend will be the first time Arsenal have met Wigan at this stage of the competition, and indeed it's the first ever FA Cup clash between the sides.

Arsenal's most frequent FA Cup semi-final opponents (not including replays) are Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, with three past encounters each.

All stats correct as at April 8, 2014