That's one way of beating the traffic! Podolski arrives at Arsenal over NINE hours before FA Cup clash with Coventry



Anyone who has attended a fixture including one of London's top flight teams on their home patch knows transport congestion is often an issue.

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But as Arsenal prepare to kick off this weekend's FA Cup fixtures at home to Coventry, Lukas Podolski has found a way to get round the problem by arriving nine hours early.



The Gunners forward arrived at the Emirates Stadium for his side's fourth-round clash with the Sky Blues, and took to Instagram and Twitter to show pictures of him inspecting the pitch at the ground.

Who was the first one here? Lukas Podolski poses pitch side at the Emirates Stadium

Ready to go: Podolski poses inside the tunnel at the Emirates Stadium after arriving at the ground hours before Arsenal's FA Cup clash with Coventry

Thumbs up from me: Podolski will hope to start just his fourth game of the season having suffered an injury hit campaign

Podolski will have to wait a while before the rest of his team-mates can join him though, although they are unlikely to be delayed too much by the Friday evening rush hour in the capital.

Arsenal being stuck in traffic may be Coventry's best chance of causing an upset over the north London side, with the League One outfit huge underdogs.