He is also very defensively capable and has never been one to forget the dirty side of the game but I am wondering if Wenger will be interested in protecting his player from the physical challenges of central midfield

The Champions League turns up on our doorstep once again, there is an extra special feeling on a personal level as this will be my first visit of our lovely stadium this season. My last Champions League visit was the wonderful 3-0 victory against Villarreal at the back of last season so if the game has the same entertainment, result and atmosphere then I shall be a happy man.

So first thing’s first, who is available and who is on the crock list? I think I may have given the squad the kiss of death when I excitedly wrote about how close we were to having a full squad to choose from, since then we have lost the customary two or three players in a few days. Denilson’s back problem has been confirmed as a fracture which will keep the Brazilian side lined for a couple of months which is a shame as his grafting work has been missed over the last couple of games. The defence balance has toppled somewhat since his departure at the City of Manchester.

Fingers crossed that playing at home will dampen his absence somewhat as we generally control games at the Emirates instead of spending more time trying to win the ball back.

Nicklas Bendtner who was involved in a minor car accident will also be unavailable tonight but hopefully he will be ready for the weekend.

I would have expected Arsene to have mixed things up a little in this game even before the new confirmation of injuries so not much should change in his mind. Tomas Rosicky has looked bright and confident since his return from injury and should get another chance from the start to show his quality and his fitness. My interest with Rosicky is which position Wenger selects for him.

I think he would be more influential from a central midfield position as he is very much a game dictator as apposed to an explosive player like Arshavin. He is also very defensively capable and has never been one to forget the dirty side of the game but I am wondering if Wenger will be interested in protecting his player from the physical challenges of central midfield. Playing Rosicky as a wide attacker means that he can close opposition players down from the front, create chances from further forward whilst avoiding more 50/50’s.

Like Robert Pires before him I think the right side of the pitch does not get the best out of his strong points, I think Andrey Arshavin would be more suited to the right of Van Persie than Rosicky would be. Ideally you would want Rosicky and Cesc playing alongside each other with Song anchoring them, this way they get to join the likes of Arshavin and Van Persie from deeper areas.

Having said all of this I heard Arsene Wenger pointing out the opposition’s strong points were from crosses or set pieces which surprised me considering we were playing a Greek team who have a Brazilian as their coach. So my comments yesterday about Arsene playing a small technical side could have been a little wide of the mark. It just shows my knowledge when it comes to Greek football.

Even with this in mind I can see Wenger resting Diaby as Eduardo will be starting the game and surely Rosicky will be raring to go from the off.

Emmanuel Eboue has been in good form lately and is in contention to give Bacary Sagna the night off at right back. If Eboue starts in a position other than right back then I can only assume that Cesc will be given a chance to put his feet up at least until he is needed.

Mean Lean’s Predicted Line Up

Predicting a Wenger line up when he is looking to rotate players is an almost impossible job because he has the stats in front of him, he can see who is looking tired in training sessions, all we can do is give it a go. I am hoping to see Rosicky in a midfield role but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him further up the pitch. Kieran Gibbs is an option for Clichy but Wenger will not want to make too many changes in a game that has plenty of importance. Aaron Ramsey is another player who could be called upon but I think the same applies to him regarding the continuity of the side.

Mean Lean’s Match Prediction