Joe Cole said Arsenal are “getting a lot of good draws” this season, with The Gunners set to visit Southampton in the Emirates FA Cup quarter-finals.
Mikel Arteta’s men managed to avoid the other five Premier League sides in Monday’s draw, with Saints the second-lowest-ranked team left in the competition.
It comes following the draw for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, in which Arsenal have been placed in a favourable position, with an easier “pathway to the final”, according to Glenn Hoddle.
After the north London side’s number was picked out to face Southampton in the FA Cup, Cole said on TNT Sports: “They’re getting a lot of good draws, Arsenal.”
The former England midfielder later added: “It’s great for Southampton, because they went down with such a whimper last year; it really took the wind out of the sails of the fans.
“They’ve beaten Fulham, and they can start believing. Arsenal coming to town, I think it will be too much.
“Arsenal seem to be in that momentum, they’ve got the easy side of the Champions League draw, a comfortable draw [in the FA Cup], and let Manchester City slog it out, so it’s a great draw for Arsenal.”
Manchester City have been drawn against Liverpool in a heavyweight clash at the Etihad, while Chelsea will host League One Port Vale, and Leeds United will visit West Ham United.
Arsenal are yet to face a fellow top-flight side in this year’s FA Cup, beating Championship outfit Portsmouth in the third round before wins over Wigan Athletic and Mansfield Town of League One.
When it comes to the Champions League, they will face Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16, and victory in that tie would set up a quarter-final with either Sporting CP or Bodo/Glimt.
Progression into the last four would see them face Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid or Barcelona, who are the only team in Arsenal’s half of the draw to have won the competition.
The other side of the draw contains defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and 15-time winners Real Madrid, as well as Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, who have all won the competition in the last seven years.
Reacting to Monday’s FA Cup draw, Hoddle said on TNT Sports: “You do need the luck of the draw, luck does come into it, you make your own luck on the pitch.
“But they’ve had an easier draw in most of the rounds, and obviously in Europe too, the pathway to the final that way is easier; nothing is easy at that level.
“But tongue in cheek, you would prefer to have that than Manchester City and Liverpool, that would be really tough for them.
“Southampton is going to be a hell of a game for them, though. Southampton are a good footballing side, and whatever team they put out, they are going to have to play well to beat them.”
Arsenal continue to compete on all four fronts, having reached the Carabao Cup final, which will take place against Manchester City later this month.
Arteta’s side faced Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace en route to the semi-finals before beating Chelsea over two legs in the last four.
The Gunners kick off their Champions League tie with Leverkusen this Wednesday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, while their quarter-final against Southampton will take place on the weekend of April 4.