Samir must be itching to show what he can do in his more natural position, he has performed at a very high level in his last two outings and I do not expect that level to drop in the KC stadium

Click, the countdown of league matches left in England’s top division continues. We are down to single digits now and judging by the breathtaking performance against Porto in midweek, this Arsenal team are not looking to ease off the gas anytime soon.

Hull City will have something to say about it though. The much talked about bad blood has been running through the players and managers veins during the last two meetings and I don’t think Hull City are going to want to dilute that from their streams come 5.30pm this afternoon.

Arsene will want his troops to take a more level headed approach and not get sucked into the rough and tumble game that Hull are likely to bring to the table. Arsene will want his players to think about playing their own game and only their own game. He will not want his players to get involved in a niggly affair because he knows that will disrupt their rhythm and flow.

The injury situation has looked better than previously suggested but not yet perfect. Is perfect ever going to be possible with Arsene’s third squad?

Alex Song continues to be absent due to his collection of bookings, many bookings that probably wouldn’t exist if he had been wearing another shirt with a different club badge, nevertheless one of our most important players in these types of games will not be available so Denilson who is still searching for his top form will come in with the intension of stopping balls getting to our center backs as well as linking the defence and midfield together.

Samir Nasri who is currently in the form of his Arsenal career is set to continue his split shift with Tomas Rosicky if the Czech can overcome his groin tweak. Having said that, Rosicky has played a number of games in a row without much rest so with a fresh Theo Walcott on the bench, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the two swap places.

Wenger will have a balancing act to master if Bacary Sagna misses out with an ankle problem. Emmanuel Eboue behind Theo Walcott makes for a very attacking right side away from the home comforts at the Emirates stadium. With Andrey Arshavin on the opposite side of the pitch, it doesn’t offer much protection to Denilson in the middle of the pitch.

Perhaps Abou Diaby will have to slowly pull up his handbrake a little and fight off his attacking instincts, instead choosing to help Denilson and his full backs.

Our manager also mentioned the need to freshen up the squad, with that in mind we cannot discount Eduardo Da Silva who hasn’t had many minutes of late but is fresh and ready for some Arsenal action. If he is to play then you would imagine that it would be on the left of the front three with Andrey Arshavin being moved to the right, this would still leave our full backs unprotected.

These are all the reasons why Arsene Wenger gets paid the big bucks while I write a blog for free.

One to watch: Samir Nasri

Samir must be itching to show what he can do in his more natural position, he has performed at a very high level in his last two outings and I do not expect that level to drop in the KC stadium.

It was Nasri’s left foot drive that gave Arsenal the lead in the same fixture last season. This time around I can see the gifting twister and turner using his full range of passing to unlock the door. He was very close to making assists against Porto only for the shooter to let him down on two occasions.

We haven’t always seen Nasri’s passing range as it is difficult to use that when coming in from wide areas, hopefully we can see a bit more of the pass made to Cesc at home to Burnley.

Mean Lean’s Predicted Line Up

This time the line up is not as straight forward as it often is. We are still awaiting confirmation on Sagna, Rosicky, Nasri and Campbell although I am sure many of those options will be ready to play if need be.

Mean Lean’s Match Prediction

With Manchester United and Chelsea both playing at home, it will be imperative that Arsenal can match our rivals at least. On paper Arsenal should cruise to victory but the truth is, Hull have done well at home against some big teams this season. If Arsenal are not fully committed then they could come unstuck, if they are focused correctly then we should have too much for this struggling side.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS.