Santi Cazorla insists Arsenal will not underestimate Coventry City in their FA Cup fourth-round clash on Friday night.
The Gunners are the heavy favourites to progress at Emirates Stadium when they take on Steven Pressley’s League One side.
But after last season’s shock defeat at the hands of Blackburn Rovers, Cazorla says they are taking nothing for granted.
"Football produces surprises every day and anything can happen in a game. If you underestimate an opponent, they can beat you"
“You have to think back to results like that when the competition comes around again,” the Spaniard told Arsenal Player. “Especially in this case as we’re up against a similar opponent to Blackburn last year.
“In that sense, we could have gone further in the competition but we were knocked out due to over-confidence, bad luck, and just what happens in a game of football. This led to excuses and regret.
“Football produces surprises every day and anything can happen in a game. If you underestimate an opponent, they can beat you.
“You have to approach these games in the best way possible and not get cocky or it will cost us dearly.”
With the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur already out of the FA Cup, Cazorla sees it as a major opportunity for a trophy.
“It’s been a long time since the club won a competition, so we’ve got to grab the chance to win something this year,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of hope as we’ve already knocked out a big rival in Tottenham.
“As I always say, we’ve just got to take it game by game and approach each game in the right way, and hopefully we can go as far as possible in the FA Cup.”
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