First up, apologies for my absence over the last few days, I’ve come down with swine flu and it is not the most pleasant thing under the sun, my skins gone pink and Ive even started oinking too. Its not good.

Anyway tonight we need to get back to winning ways after two draws, it might only be the Carling Cup but at the moment any cup would do for us. The squad is a mixture of youth, inexperience and incompetence so lets hope everything goes smoothly and Liverpool don’t name their first eleven. Gerrard is out of the tie and I doubt Rafa would be stupid enough to risk Torres but then again, it is Rafa, and he is stupid.

One name rather mysteriously missing from the squad is Carlos Vela who is running out of opportunities, he really has not featured much at all in his first season and a bit at the club, he is now 20 and might start soon getting itchy feet – the rumours are out there already about interest in him from Spain so it would be good to know why he isn’t going to be taking any part tonight. Could it be injury? Well he has had a fair few in his time with us.

The boss has confirmed that Nasri and Fabianski will start the game, I’d think Bendtner or Eduardo will too depending on who will get the most match time against Spurs on Saturday. It will be good to see Nasri back and he will give us that bit of class in the middle in the absence of Jack Wilshere. It is a shame not to see him play again but his time will come I am certain.

Last season we saw Nasri in a defensive role in some games and Arsene more or less confirmed that he might well be lining up next to Song in the future in a more defensive role in the center:

“I would say more in the defensive role now but, because he can dribble, he can play on the flanks too. He has pace and he can play in a role that is half a winger. A dropped winger who will come in sometimes, can go wide. But maybe it has to be balanced with a striker on the other side sometimes.”

It is a big season for him and he had a pretty good season last time out, at points he tailed off a little and went quiet but he has a lot of quality and it will shine through. He is the same age as Cesc, I think of him as being older than him the majority of the time.

It seems that this is the chance for Lucasz Fabianski to cement the number one spot with Almunia still out in the cold, its not a situation I think is for the good of the club or our trophy chances this season, I would go as far as to say it could well cost us silverwear if it is not sorted out. In the FA Cup semi last season Fabianski was at fault for at least one of the goals, there was only one goal between the teams. We need a class keeper, project youth does not cut it in that position.

Some of the younger members of the squad have been talking up the game today, labeling it as their chance to change and make their careers, it is a big game for the likes of Gilbert, Randall, Senderos (his appalling treatment will make the subject of a rather strongly worded blog soon) and Fran Merida – who Wenger described as “too good to go out on loan”.

I’m looking forward to this one tonight. If your going have a great time and be safe.

Till tomorrow.