Theo Walcott: 'Boro will be a threat - we can't take them for granted'

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has warned the Gunners that they must be at their best to overcome in-form Boro on Sunday.

The Championship’s top dogs travel to the Emirates buoyed by Kike’s late winner at Blackpool on Tuesday, and Aitor Karanka’s side have won their last six matches.

That includes the 2-0 win at Premier League champions Man City in the previous round, and Boro will be full of confidence when they arrive in North London for the fifth round tie.

Walcott, who was on the scoresheet for Arsenal in the 2-1 win over Leicester in mid-week, is likely to start for Arsene Wenger’s side - and has urged his teammates to not take Boro lightly.

“It is a great opportunity (to win the FA Cup) when you consider the teams that have gone out,” Walcott told the club’s website.

“But Middlesbrough will be tough, they are doing well in the Championship and they might be very similar to Leicester.

Middlesbrough's Enrique Garcia (Kike) celebrates scoring his side's second goal

“They will be a threat, we can’t take them for granted. We need to study their game very closely because if they watched our game here (on Tuesday) they will fancy playing us.

“We have to make sure we are completely on it because it will be nice for the fans to have a Wembley trip again.”

As the current holders, Arsenal are among the favourites to lift the FA Cup again in May - but the club are still reeling from a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham earlier this month.

Wenger’s side have won six out of their last seven in competitions, and are currently fifth in the Premier League - one point adrift of Southampton in the battle for a Champions League spot.

After narrowly seeing off Leicester in a match where the Foxes felt they carved out more than enough opportunities to deserve a point, Arsenal have a number of doubts for Sunday’s televised clash with Boro.

Aaron Ramsey will almost certainly miss the match after picking up a hamstring injury, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a couple of weeks away from a first-team return.

Star man Alexis Sanchez was also substituted against Leicester with a knee problem, and may not be risked given the Gunners’ looming Champions League showdown with Monaco.

But Jack Wilshere could make a surprise return to the side after more than two months on the sidelines with an ankle problem.