Mikel Arteta has urged his Arsenal FC players to avoid the embarrassment of an FA Cup giant-killing when they travel to face Mansfield Town on Saturday.

Arteta is wary of the potential damage to Arsenal’s reputation if they suffer another shock exit in the FA Cup. The Gunners were famously knocked out by Nottingham Forest in 2018 when Forest were still in the Championship, and Arsenal have progressed beyond the fourth round only once since 2017.

The club’s last trophy remains the FA Cup triumph in 2020, and pressure is mounting on Arteta to end a six-year wait for silverware.

Arsenal currently sit top of the Premier League and are preparing for a EFL Cup Final showdown with Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on March 22 as they pursue the possibility of a remarkable quadruple.

But Mansfield, who compete in the third tier, have already proven capable of upsetting top-flight sides this season. Nigel Clough’s team eliminated Burnley FC earlier in the competition and also claimed an impressive away win over Sheffield United.

Arteta fears that a similar upset in the fifth round could have lasting repercussions for Arsenal’s momentum during the rest of the campaign.

“We’ve been knocked out a few times in a difficult way, and it’s a terrible feeling,” Arteta said.

“It feels like it damages your reputation. We don’t want to go through that.”

Arsenal have already overcome lower-league opposition in this year’s competition, defeating Wigan Athletic in the fourth round after earlier beating Portsmouth FC. The run represents their longest progression in the tournament since lifting the trophy in 2020.

However, Arteta insisted that being favourites counts for little in the FA Cup.

“I’ve been long enough in this country to understand that being favourite doesn’t mean anything,” he said.

“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.”