Wenger to rest star players in FA Cup...Here are the names

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that he plans to reward his key men with an extra rest at the start of 2016 for some excellent performances that saw the Gunners climb to the Premier League summit.

If we disregard the disappointing 4-0 loss to Southampton, the North London side have been on top of their game for some six or seven weeks and they now hold a two-point advantage at the top of the Premiership.

Having recorded a hard-fought win over Newcastle on Saturday, the Gunners will have had a full week to prepare for the FA Cup game vs Sunderland, with team’s leading players set to be handed a well deserved rest this week.

With Arsenal winning two FA Cup trophies in a row, the competition no longer has the priority and Arsene Wenger has all but suggested that most first team regulars will be left out of the Sunderland game.

“I will give them a couple of days, an extra rest but you never know what shape they come back in,” Wenger said. “It depends what you do when you have a rest. You can come back more tired.”

The likes of Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Aaron Ramsey, Hector Bellerin and Petr Cech will be among those to receive a couple of days off, while at the same time back-up players will get another chance of impress.