Good afternoon! The FA Cup third round is well and truly underway now, and it is the turn of Preston North End and Arsenal next. It could be billed as the battle of the Invincibles, with these two clubs the only ones to have gone through an entire top-flight season unbeaten in English football history, but both occasions will seem a long time ago for the respective clubs. Still, it should be an interesting contest between a Championship side seemingly on the up and an Arsenal team struggling for form a little. First, though, let's take a look at the team news...

PRESTON STARTING XI: Maxwell; Vermijl, Clarke, Huntington, Cunningham; Gallagher, Pearson, Johnson; McGeady, Robinson, Hugill

PRESTON SUBS: Lindegaard, Spurr, Browne, Pringle, Horgan, Doyle, Makienok

ARSENAL STARTING XI: Ospina; Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Gabriel, Monreal; Xhaka, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Iwobi, Lucas; Giroud

ARSENAL SUBS: Martinez, Jenkinson, Holding, Reine-Adelaide, Dasilva, Willock, Welbeck

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, Preston boss Simon Grayson has the luxury of a almost fully-fit squad to choose from, and unsurprisingly he has included his biggest hitters as the hosts look to spring a surprise this evening. The main goal threats will come from Robinson and Hugill up front, both of whom have five league goals for the season to top Preston's scoring charts at the moment.

As expected, Paul Gallagher and Aiden McGeady are both named in the starting XI for this one as they continue their recovery from injury, with the latter in particular boasting plenty of top-flight experience - a rarity in this Preston side. McGeady has previously played for the likes of Celtic, Spartak Moscow and Everton, so should have the most knowhow about coming up against teams of Arsenal's calibre in the home side tonight.

In all, Simon Grayson has made three changes to the side that beat Burton Albion last time out, with Gallagher and McGeady joined in the starting XI by Vermijl, who has overcome a groin injury to feature here. The back four is otherwise unchanged for the hosts with Clarke, Huntington and Cunningham all retaining their places, which in midfielder Johnson should provide a goal threat having weighed in with four already this season.

As for Arsenal, it is no surprise to see a number of changes to the side that drew at Bournemouth last time out. In truth, the performance for the majority of that game was so poor that changes should have been in the offing even if this was a Premier League game, but it was always likely to be the case that an FA Cup match would see Arsenal give a number of fringe players a chance. He makes five changes to the side from Tuesday here.

As promised in the build-up to the match, Petr Cech, Alexis Sanchez and Laurent Koscielny are amongst the players completely rested for this game, with the trio entirely absent from the matchday squad. That means a start in goal for Ospina, while Gabriel comes in at the heart of the defence alongside Mustafi. Mustafi only made his return from injury against Bournemouth and looked shaky at times, and Wenger has seemingly given him the chance to build up his match fitness again with another start tonight.

Hector Bellerin is another to be given the night off as Maitland-Niles is given another taste of the first team at right-back, but on the opposite flank there is no change as Monreal keeps his place, with Gibbs still sidelined. Further forward, Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey also retain their places from the Bournemouth draw, although the latter is expected to play deeper than he did at the Vitality Stadium.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is handed a start in the trio behind the striker for this one having come off the bench early against Bournemouth, while Iwobi starts again in what the team sheet suggests will be the central role. Lucas Perez is also handed a start, and he will be keen to build on his first Premier League goal, which came in some style against the Cherries. His crisp volley brought the match back to 3-2 and boosted Arsenal's hopes of completing what was a dramatic comeback.

Leading the line once again will be the in-form Olivier Giroud, who now has nine goals in his last seven starts for the club. He has made the headlines in both of Arsenal's last two games and will be looking to make it a hat-trick of eye-catching performances tonight. His scorpion goal against Crystal Palace is a definite contender for the goal of the season, while his late equaliser against Bournemouth completed that incredible late comeback. Should he fall short tonight, though, then there is back-up in the form of Danny Welbeck on the bench, with the forward included in the squad for the first time this season.

It is not a full-strength Arsenal side, then, but there are still plenty of threats for Preston to nullify and the hosts will be under no illusions that they are up against it this evening. Grayson may feel that this is a decent time to face Arsenal given a few recent blips in the Premier League, but if they are to get anything out of this one then Preston need to be at their very best and need Arsenal to be below par once again.

Preston's form heading into this match is enough to give them a bit of confidence that they can come away from this match with something, though. The Lilywhites have only lost one of their last six matches, winning three of those and drawing two since the start of December. Victory over Burton Albion last time out means that they are tonight looking for back-to-back wins across all competitions for the first time since October.

That has helped Preston to keep a safe distance away from the relegation zone, and the optimistic among the club's support will very much be looking up the table rather than down it right now. Preston are just six points off the playoff places in the Championship table as things stand, while 12 points separate them from the bottom three. A top-half finish would make for a good campaign for tonight's hosts, but they won't have given up on a playoff charge just yet either.

Perhaps the main concern for Preston at the moment is their defensive record, which is along the worst in the top half of the table. They have conceded 32 goals this season - more than 23rd-placed Wigan - although it should be noted that the goalscoring stats of teams in the Championship are particularly peculiar this season. Even so, Preston have only kept back-to-back clean sheets once since December 2015, which is something they have a chance to do tonight.

In matches like these it is often the home advantage that acts as the biggest leveller for lower-league clubs, but Preston are in the rather strange position of perhaps preferring this one to have come on the road. Grayson's side have won just one of their last six matches at Deepdale - a run that includes two defeats and stretches back to October 19. The Lilywhites had won four home games on the bounce before this latest run, so they are clearly not in their best form in front of their own fans right now.

Indeed, they have average more points per game away from home than they have here at Deepdale in the Championship this season. However, it is a different story in the FA Cup, with Preston only losing two of their last 10 Deepdale outings in this competitions. They have won six of those too, with that streak stretching back six years to January 2011.

However, Preston have also only won one of their last 15 FA Cup games against top-flight opposition, and even then it was a victory over a poor Derby County side in 2008. They do have pedigree in this competition, though, and while you may have to go a long way back to find it, Preston will still very much buy into the romance of the FA Cup. They have lifted the trophy on two previous occasions (1889, 1938), the latter of which was their most recent piece of silverware.

Preston manager Simon Grayson is winless in his three previous FA Cup meetings with Arsenal, though, all of which came during his time with Leeds, and the Gunners will once again be favourites to get the better of him tonight. When it comes to FA Cup pedigree there is no team that can beat Arsenal. The Gunners have won this trophy a joint-record 12 times, including twice in the last three years, while they have reached the final on 19 occasions - another record jointly held with Manchester United.

It is fair to say that this competition will not be Arsenal's priority this season, though. The FA Cup has been very good to the club and Arsene Wenger, whose job was arguably saved by their back-to-back triumphs in 2014 and 2015, but it is their situation in the Premier League which will be causing the most concern for the Frenchman now. His decision to rest a number of key players hints where his priorities lie, but at the same time he will not underestimate the importance of picking up silverware in the final year of his contract.

Results in the last gameweek saw Arsenal drop out of the top four in the Premier League, with on point now separating them from Tottenham following Spurs' win over Chelsea. They remain eight points behind the league-leading Blues, while they are only two points clear of Manchester United in sixth, so it is all very tight up there. There are six teams pushing for four places, and Arsenal are one of the teams most in danger of missing out right now.

That comes as a result of a dip in form of late, with the Gunners having won just two of their last five league games. They had lost just one of their previous 23 outings in all competitions, but back-to-back defeats against Everton and Manchester City put a big dent in their title challenge and, having seemingly got back on track with wins over West Brom and Crystal Palace, they slipped up again last time out with a 3-3 draw against Bournemouth.

In truth, their position could and probably should be even worse as they were dreadful for 70 minutes of that match against Bournemouth on Tuesday. The Cherries looked to be cruising to the win with a three-goal lead, but Sanchez, Lucas and Giroud all struck in the final 20 minutes to rescue a dramatic point for Arsenal. Chelsea's defeat to Spurs softened the blow a little, but it is still a big two points dropped for Arsenal.

The Gunners are now winless in their last three away games since December 6, having previously gone 15 matches without defeat on the road in all competitions. In the FA Cup, though, they have won their last four away outings and are unbeaten in five since February 2012. They are the highest away scorers in the Premier League this season too, so a trip to Deepdale will not faze them, but there has been a definite dip in away form from Arsenal of late.

Overall, the Gunners have lost just one of their last 17 FA Cup games, with that coming at home to Watford in the quarter-finals last season. Aside from that, Arsenal have won 15 and drawn one of those 17 games, helping them to back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. Crucially they rarely fall foul to the Cupset either, with their only defeat in their last 36 FA Cup games against lower league opposition coming against Blackburn in 2013.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes from kickoff at Deepdale, which means that it is time for a prediction! Preston will want to make this one a real cup tie, with an intimidating atmosphere and play that prevents Arsenal from getting into any real rhythm. However, Arsenal usually get the job done in these opening rounds of the FA Cup and don't tend to underestimate lower league opposition, so I'm going to go for a 3-1 away win.

These two sides have not played each other in any competition yet this century, with the last meeting coming in the third round of the League Cup in October 1999. Arsenal won that game at Highbury, with Stefan Malz getting the winner after Jon Macken had earlier cancelled out Kanu's opener. The last time they faced each other here at Deepdale was earlier that same year in the FA Cup, when goals from Luis Boa Morte, Emmanuel Petit (2) and Marc Overmars saw Arsenal come from two goals down to win 4-2 after Kurt Nogan's early brace had put Preston on course for an upset.

Arsenal have won four of the last five meetings between these two sides, although those two clashes in 1999 are the only two in the last 50 years. Overall these two sides have met 79 times and it is Arsenal who edge the all-time record, winning 34 and losing 26 with 34 draws. Six of those meetings have come in the FA Cup, where the record is evenly matched at two wins apiece and two draws.

It may be a rarity, but when these two teams do meet in the FA Cup here at Deepdale, there are usually goals. The three previous FA Cup episodes of this fixture here have yielded 15 goals at an average of five per games, with Preston scoring seven of those and Arsenal eight. There has been one win apiece and one draw in those three games too.

Right, we're almost ready to go here! There is a huge noise inside Deepdale as the players come out onto the field for this third-round clash.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Preston get us underway at Deepdale!

SAVE! The first shot of the match comes from Arsenal inside the first minute as Giroud goes for goal, but it is easy for Maxwell to collect.

Good early pressure from Preston as Pearson gets forward well and almost creates a chance with his pressing. The eventual shot is blocked before it can trouble Ospina, but that is an encouraging early sign from the hosts.

Preston will be fairly happy with the opening five minutes to this match. They have not let the visitors settle on the ball so far and have seen a decent amount of possession inside the Arsenal half too.

It is a dream start for Preston! They take the lead after just seven minutes of this cup tie as Callum Robinson gives them an early lead. McGeady is the architect with some silky skills in midfield before threading a pass through to Hugill. The Preston striker goes down in the box, but luck is on the hosts' side as the ball bounces off an Arsenal defender, against Hugill and into the path of Robinson, who strokes it home from close range.

For the second time in the space of four days, then, Arsenal need to come from behind if they are to get anything out of this game. On the positive side, the goal came early so there is still a long time for them to respond, but it certainly isn't an ideal start for the visitors.

Poor from Mustafi as he jumps into a challenge on Hugill, giving a free kick away in a good crossing position. Hugill was isolated and going nowhere, so there was no reason for Mustafi to make that challenge.

Here is that opening goal from Preston, which has put Arsene Wenger's record of never having lost in the third round of the FA Cup in jeopardy...

What a start for @pnefc! @CallumRobbo37 gives the Championship side an early lead.👌 #EmiratesFACup https://t.co/rgxJ1AEVNP — BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) January 7, 2017

Arsenal are starting to see a lot more of the ball now, and their pressure is beginning to grow already now. Preston need to keep up their energy off the ball in order to prevent Arsenal from building any momentum here.

SAVE! Maxwell is called into action for Preston as Lucas gets a shot away from just outside the area. His effort takes a deflection on the way through, but it is quite comfortable for the Preston keeper.

Arsenal get into another promising attack position, but then it all slows down and a wayward pass brings it to a halt. Giroud throws his arms up in frustration already.

Preston think that they are in behind again as Robinson latches on to a pass from McGeady before looking to pick out Hugill in the middle. The flag is raised for offside, but the replay shows that Robinson was a good two yards onside.

CHANCE! Big chance for Preston to double their lead! Again McGeady kickstarts the move by driving forward and playing the ball to Robinson, who in turn gives it out to Hugill down the right channel. His pass is a little too heavy, but Hugill manages to dig a cross in anyway that Robinson nods towards goal. Mustafi is there to make a crucial block, though.

CHANCE! Another huge chance for the hosts! Again it is a simple ball down the right channel that sends Robinson clean through down the right channel. He has Hugill free in the middle, but Robinson puts a simple square pass too far in front of his strike partner, who would have been left with a simple finish. That should have been 2-0!

SAVE! It is all Preston at the moment. Pearson is the latest to go for goal with a dipping effort from range which Ospina shovels behind for a corner rather than trying to hold on.

This has been another shocking opening half an hour or so for Arsenal. They are giving the ball away for fun at the moment and Preston are swarming all over them. The Gunners are lucky that the deficit is only one right now.

CHANCE! Yet another sight of goal for Preston! McGeady earns a yard of space to cross the ball, standing it up to the back post. Monreal can't reach it, but Vermijl slices his attempted volley harmlessly wide.

CHANCE! Half-chance for Arsenal at the other end as Giroud attacks a cross into the box well, but Clarke does enough to prevent the striker getting a clean head on it and he can only steer it wide.

The main concern for Preston right now will be whether these missed chances will come back to haunt them. The hosts have been comfortably the better side in this match so far and deserve a bigger lead than the 1-0 one they currently enjoy.

SHOT! Johnson tries to curl one into the bottom far corner from range, but it bounces a couple of yards wide.

CHANCE! Arsenal have their best chance of the match so far as Giroud flicks the ball into the path of Ramsey inside the area. However, the Wales international twists and turns when looking for space before the ball squirms away from and Lucas can't make anything of it.

CHANCE! Another chance for the visitors, and this time it falls to Giroud. Iwobi cleverly disguises a reverse pass to the unmarked Frenchman on the left side of the area, but he attempts to chip a finish over the keeper and gets it all wrong, sending it closer to the corner flag in the end.

OFF THE LINE! At the other end it is almost a second goal for Preston, but Nacho Monreal clears it off the line! Gallagher tries to feed the ball into the feet of Hugill, but it is cut out by Mustafi. The defender doesn't deal with it properly, though, and Hugill was able to hook the ball into the path of Gallagher inside the area. The midfielder lifts his finish over Ospina, but Monreal is back to clear it before it creeps over the line.

CHANCE! Arsenal break straight up the other end and almost level things up as Ramsey steers a header towards goal, but Maxwell holds on to it well.

Gallagher picked up a knock to the ribs during his chance and requires treatment on the sidelines, but he should be fine to continue here.

Preston have the ball in the back of the net once again following a well-worked corner routine, but the referee blows up for a foul on the keeper before Robinson nodded the loose ball over the line.

Lucas Perez and Giroud combine well just outside the area as they look to break through the Preston defence, but Lucas goes down clutching his face when trying to get onto the return ball. Cunningham was the man who held him off, but there was nothing in it really and Bobby Madley is right to wave any penalty claims away.

This really has been poor from Arsenal. They were shocking in the first half against Bournemouth on Tuesday and this has been just as poor in truth. They may need to rely on a late comeback once again.

YELLOW CARD! Hugill is the first player in the book for an aerial challenge on Gabriel, who is left with blood trickling down his head following that collision. Hugill did catch him with his elbow, but he only had eyes for the ball.

There will be three additional minutes at the end of this first half.

The referee brings an end to the first half at Deepdale, and Arsenal find themselves in a lot of trouble at the halfway stage. They trail Preston by one goal, but it could easily be three or four for the hosts. Preston have been comfortably the better team and thoroughly deserve their lead - they will only be upset that it isn't more.

The only goal of the game so far arrived after just seven minutes when Callum Robinson stroked the ball home after it broke kindly for him inside the penalty area. McGeady and Hugill combined in the build-up but there was also luck involved as the ball bounced off an Arsenal defender, back against Hugill and into the path of Robinson, who made no mistake with his finish.

It could and should be worse for Arsenal, though, with Preston missing a couple of great chances to give themselves a cushion. The best chance aside from the goal saw Robinson beat a dreadful offside trap to race in down the right flank, but his subsequent pass across was too far in front of Hugill. It was a simple square ball to make and would have left Hugill with a simple tap-in, but Robinson put too much on it and a glorious chance went begging.

Robinson, Vermijl and Gallagher have all had chances of their own without being able to add to the lead, whereas Arsenal have only created two chances of note themselves, with Ramsey unable to get a shot away and Giroud getting an attempted chip all wrong. It has been another poor performance from the Gunners in the first half, and Wenger will be relieved that his side are only one behind.

KICKOFF: Arsenal get us back underway for the second half as they look to drag themselves back into this cup tie.

We thought Preston might rue their missed chances, and it has taken just 50 seconds of the second half for that to ring true! It is a perfect start to the half for the Gunners as Iwobi does well to hold on to the ball just inside the box before teeing up Ramsey. The midfielder takes a touch before firing a powerful effort past Maxwell from the edge of the area.

That will be such a hammer blow for Preston, who were so impressive in that first half. They would have suspected an improvement from Arsenal, but to lose their lead so quickly after the restart is exactly what they wouldn't have wanted.

Here is that crisp finish from Ramsey...

Perfect response from @Arsenal! Fantastic finish from @aaronramsey. 🚀 #EmiratesFACup https://t.co/aDBpyAvyvp — BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) January 7, 2017

Pearson gets a talking-to from Bobby Madley following a clash with Ramsey, who is calling for a yellow card for the Preston midfielder. That could be his final warning.

That goal at the start of this second half has completely changed the complexion of this match in Arsenal's favour. They could have been dead and buried at half time tonight, but instead they are right in this game and surely now favourites to go on and win.

Suddenly Arsenal look so much sharper and up for this game. They were dreadful in the first half but now they are chasing everything down and looking to make themselves known to the Preston defenders.

The Arsenal fans shout for a penalty against Clarke for a handball after Giroud has tried to flick the ball past him, but the replay shows that it hit the defender square in the chest.

PRESTON SUB: Change from the home side here as Gallagher, who still looks to be troubled by that rib injury, goes off to be replaced by Alan Browne.

The hosts have done a decent job of preventing Arsenal from building any momentum after that early goal in this second half. The Gunners have been on top since, but it hasn't been an onslaught as many might have expected as Ramsey slammed his finish home.

YELLOW CARD! Cunningham goes into the book for a heavy challenge on Lucas, although it is a harsh one as that looked to be a good, strong and fair tackle.

Almost a chance for Arsenal as the resulting free kick is lifted in towards Giroud. He is being wrestled by a Preston defender, though, and the final touch comes off a home player before the keeper collects.

Giroud goes down after a tangle with Clarke this time, but he is not given much attention by the officials. This one is getting fairly feisty and scrappy, which could well favour Preston.

YELLOW CARD! Gabriel quite clearly has revenge on his mind here as he scythes down Hugill from behind after having a nibble at him seconds earlier. He has a big grin on his face after that and points to his battle scar from the early clash. No doubt he had been lining that one up all half.

CHANCE! Big chance for Arsenal to take the lead! Oxlade-Chamberlain plays a low corner in towards the near post and Mustafi makes the run to latch on to the ball. He gets a good connection on his shot too, but Maxwell makes a smart reaction save.

YELLOW CARD! Pearson is the latest player in the book for a trip on Xhaka. That is his 10th of the season, which means a two-match ban.

PRESTON SUB: The hosts make their second change of the evening as Simon Makienok replaces Hugill.

DISALLOWED GOAL! Arsenal think they have the lead, but their celebrations are cut short by the linesman's flag! Lucas lifts a clever pass over the defence which Giroud meets with a volley from close range, but as he peels away he spots the flag. Giroud disagrees, but the replay proves the official right.

Preston almost get in behind Arsenal for the first time in this second half as Makienok flicks the ball on towards McGeady, but Ospina is quickly out to collect it.

PRESTON SUB: A third and final change for the home side sees Daryl Horgan comes on for his debut in place of Johnson.

ARSENAL SUB: Arsenal make their first change of the night as Danny Welbeck makes his return to the side, replacing Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Just five minutes remaining in this match now, and Preston have not given up on the idea of winning this game. In truth, they have still created the best and the most chances in this game so could make a decent claim for deserving the win here.

SAVE! It is Arsenal who look most like scoring, though, and Maxwell is called into action here as he keeps out a low drive from Iwobi.

A draw against Arsenal would not be a bad result at all for Preston, but at the same time they surely have a better chance of winning tonight than they would at the Emirates.

Heartbreak for Preston as Arsenal again strike late through Giroud, who has surely fired the Gunners into the fourth round now. Perez is the architect with a lovely backheel into a dangerous area, and Giroud is there to sweep a deflected effort past a helpless Maxwell from close range.

There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match.

ARSENAL SUBS: The Gunners make a couple of late changes as Maitland-Niles and Lucas are replaced by Reine-Adelaide and Rob Holding.

SAVE! Welbeck looks to mark his return with a goal as he ducks into shooting position and fires a long-range strike in that Maxwell needs to tip over.

The final whistle goes at Deepdale, and that will be a tough one to take for Preston. They were by far the better team in the first half here and should have taken more than a 1-0 lead into half time, but their missed chances came back to haunt them in the end. They deserved at least a replay, but goals from Ramsey and Giroud ensure that it is Arsenal who go through to the fourth round of the FA Cup despite another largely disappointing display.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's FA Cup clash as Arsenal leave it late to come from behind and beat Preston in the third round. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!