AFP, PRESTON (UK): Arsene Wenger says the FA Cup remains "a big priority" for Arsenal despite his side already waging two-pronged assaults on the Premier League and Champions League. The FA Cup has been good to the Gunners in recent years and Wenger's side travel to Championship side Preston on Saturday seeking to lift the trophy for a third time in four years. Their 2014 triumph ended Arsenal's nine-year wait for silverware and a repeat success 12 months later suggested Wenger's side were acquiring a winning mentality.
But their failure last season to really challenge Leicester in the Premier League title race and their current standing in fifth place, eight points adrift of leaders Chelsea, suggest the north London side still have work to do if they are to become league champions for the first time since 2004.
Wenger knows he must once again at a minimum deliver a place in next season's Champions League, but is adamant that does not mean he will view the FA Cup, and the potential fixture pile-up that comes with it, as a distraction. “It is a big priority for us,” Wenger said. “We have shown historically that we care about it and it is a massive competition for everybody. “To win the FA Cup is always a target each year. We know as well that after a congested Christmas period that the third round is always a tricky game.