Gallas and van Persie could maybe come back into the side. Vela will most likely start, perhaps on the left to give Nasri a break. Goal-machine Eboue will probably start on the right, with Vela, Arshavin or Theo on the left

A rather healthy March so far in all competitions leads us to the FA Cup quarter final, and we are now one win away from our first game at the new Wembley Stadium, a potential semi final with Chelsea. In order to get there we have to beat a team that have a 100% record at Le Grove. We have to win; by reaching the quarter finals of the Champions League we have ensured that there are no available gaps for a potential replay up to the date of the FA Cup semi finals. A draw on Saturday would result in league games being rearranged, one game already has to be moved if we make it to the semis of the FA Cup, so a replay would mean fitting two league games in somewhere towards the end of the season, when we have Chelsea and United in the final weeks. This performance needs to be as effective as the previous two FA Cup games in order to avoid a scheduling nightmare while we battle for fourth place in the league, although Villa cocking up massively is making that seem like less of a ridiculous task.

The second half of this season has been a pretty brutal one for Hull, after staying in the top four for a while at the start of the season, they now find themselves in freefall down the league table with only one win in their last thirteen games. Their attentions are probably more focussed on league survival given that they are only four points clear of the bottom three, rather than on a fantasy of getting past Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United to win the FA Cup, but this fixture could have ‘The magic of the cup’ written all over it if we’re not professional. We’ve been afforded a very kind draw all the way from the third round, if we don’t at least make it to the semis then we really do have problems. If we win this, the only teams left in the competition are all teams we’ve already beaten this season, and with Fabregas and Adebayor back by the latter stages, and the hunger of winning nothing for four years, we really have no excuse for not putting up a real fight against Chelsea, and in what would probably be a repeat of the 2005 final, our last silverware, if we get through. This squad seems to thrive on the big games, we’ll need to see that again.

Team News

Fabianski and Gibbs will return to the side as ‘cup players’. Ramsey is rested for some peculiar reason, so one of Denilson and Song will partner Diaby who was rested against Blackburn. Gallas and van Persie could maybe come back into the side. Vela will most likely start, perhaps on the left to give Nasri a break. Goal-machine Eboue will probably start on the right, with Vela, Arshavin or Theo on the left. Arshavin had stitches in his foot at half time on Saturday so he may not start tonight. It would make more sense to play Eboue at right back, to give Sagna a break after starting the last nineteen games in a row and playing 210 minutes in the last six days, and give Arshavin or Walcott more game time on the right wing, but that’s not how Arsene’s mind works. Eduardo is still out so Bendtner, Vela or Walcott could partner van Persie up front.

Adebayor and Fabregas should be back after the international break, barring any late setbacks in their recovery. Rosicky has already had a setback late in his recovery and his return has been delayed by two weeks. Silvestre could be back in the squad.

Subs: Mannone, Toure, Song, Nasri, Wilshere, Arshavin, Bendtner.

Bullard’s out for the season, George Boateng’s out for another month or so. Kilbane is cup tied and Dean Marney is suspended.