Quique Sanchez Flores has been preparing his side to face Arsenal’s ‘amazing’ players and hopes the 9,000 Hornets travelling with them will help them perform.

Not actual Hornets, you understand, although that would certainly give them the edge, especially if they were trained hornets that only attacked opposition players.

Sorry.

Speaking to the Hornets Player before the game, QSF, said “We are happy with the idea to play there against Arsenal. It’ll be a very tough match but it’s a big opportunity to play in the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup.

“It’s a good experience for us, we’ll have maybe 9,000 fans following us so we’ll have a lot of reasons to try to play well. 

“The last time I was there [the Emirates Stadium] it was with Valencia a very long time ago, but to come back to this type of stadium it’s a great opportunity for the team and for the players to show everyone they are ready to have an amazing performance. 

“We had a very close experience against Manchester United playing at Old Trafford, and now the players are completely ready to get to a good level again. For sure, Arsenal will try also to win, but it’s just one match, everything’s possible.

“Our mentality in the FA Cup is very simple because we don’t have the necessary pressure to play nervous,” he said. 

“In the FA Cup we are slowly, step-by-step winning and keeping clean sheets, and with this mentality we have arrived with the opportunity to play in the Quarter-Final. 

“I know the players are ready, we met today with the idea to clear the mind and to change the mentality for the new competition, and then after we will come back to the league.” 

“Every single match is different,” he added. 

“To play Arsenal you need to think about preparing for a lot of situations with their amazing players, but we are used to playing against amazing teams during the season. 

“Every single match we have played in the Premier League is very tough, so we need to repeat the same habits we had against other amazing teams.” 

Both sides know that they are only one game away from Wembley (as long as no replay is needed, obviously). For Arsenal, it would represent their second visit to the famous stadium this season, and their seventh since they last lost an FA Cup game in 2013.

Arsenal are aiming to become the first side to win three FA Cups in a row since Blackburn Rovers in the late 1880’s.

Watford have been to Wembley a few times themselves, most notably for the Championship playoffs.

They were runners up in the FA Cup in 1984 when they lost to Everton and goals from Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray in front of 100,000 supporters.