A little bit of Boxing Day cheer wouldn’t go amiss, would it? Arsenal are in a bit of a poor run at the moment and were less than impressive on Monday against Chelsea, when they drew 0-0. But on their day they are superb and there’s a reason they are second in the league. But the worst thing we can do is go into this match in awe of them. Although I have predicted the return of Kevin Nolan to the team, I am very unsure what kind of midfield Sam will pick. I suspect Morrison will be benched, but it’s quite possible he will pick a midfield designed to mix it up a bit. Perhaps Diarra might start in a sweeper role.
There has been some speculation that James Tomkins should be dropped following his night club arrest. That would be short-sighted seeing as the only replacement would be George McCartney. If fit, Tomkins should play. The other two positions where there is uncertainty are striker and goalkeeper. It was a surprise to see Adrian start at Old Trafford and although he didn’t do badly he certainly should have done better for one of their goals. I suspect he will retain his place. And then there is the usual Maiga/Cole dilemma. I’d always go with Cole, but then you know that!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could take at least four points from our two home games over Christmas?