A peculiar Arsenal team will hobble up to the Britannia Stadium tomorrow

We'll be travelling north tomorrow with a squad about as weakened as Owen Coyle's case against Gallas when he remembered that Jack Wilshere is available on loan, and Stoke are no pushovers. It will be a tricky one, but a win would give the team another confidence boost heading into a vital (and congested) series of fixtures.

Sagna, Gibbs, Djourou, Diaby, Ramsey, Merida, Nasri, Bendtner, and van Persie are all out (as well as Song and Eboue at the ACN), giving us little choice but to field a few Carling Cup players. Right-back will be the most interesting position, with Coquelin and Eastmond in contention for Sagna's place. Considering Wenger's comments earlier in the season about Eastmond's pace, or lack thereof, I would expect Coquelin to fill in at the back and Eastmond to return to his holding role.

Walcott should be ready to zip about the right-flank for at least a few minutes, until he stops looking where he's going and crashes into one of Stoke's various defensive bollards. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he will point despairingly at the graze on his knee; Colin Lewin and the entire team of physios will dash onto the pitch, and after several minutes of poking and prodding, will come to the inevitable conclusion that the young winger has picked up a chronic boo-boo and will be out for several weeks.

New old boy Sol Campbell should make his debut, and a fixture against Stoke is probably ideal for his return to proper football. Portsmouth fans are still scratching their heads over Wenger's decision to re-sign him, the general consensus at Fratton Park being that, towards the end of his last season on the south coast, they would have been better off starting each match with ten men and a grand oak table strategically placed on the 18 yard line. But Campbell reckons his fitness is better now than when he left in the summer of 2006 at the more Premier Leaguey age of 31, and evidently Wenger concurs. After six months of solid, world-class training at London Colney, he should be in much better shape than he was during his Notts County day(s), where a reliable source informs me that his fitness sessions were conducted by an old man and his decrepit border collie.

I'm still unsure about whether we should be giving poor old Senderos the boot. It would appear that he's got confused on his way out and is now pawing anxiously at the door to a broom cupboard, but the official Arsenal website reckons he's finally sorted out a loan switch to Everton. It will be a shame if he eventually leaves at the end of his contract; but in the meantime, Campbell's experience and influence could be vital both in the dressing room and in our headless-chicken-infested final third, and I look forward to seeing how he does.

My predicted line-up:

Fabianski
Coquelin
Clichy
Campbell
Vermaelen
Eastmond
Denilson
Rosicky
Walcott
Vela
Eduardo

A fairly balanced team age-wise, with experience in all the right areas.

I can see Gallas, Fabregas and Arshavin all being left out, which might be a necessary risk. So far this season, Gallas has shaken off more injuries than an improbably macho Hollywood character, while Arshavin has also carried on playing with the odd knock. Although we won't want another nervy tie after our come-back at West Ham, Wenger knows he can't use them in all of the next five games, so a tiny bit of rotation in this and the Villa game might be needed.

So our bench will depend on who Wenger wants to rest until necessary, and who he wants to leave out altogether. Silvestre will, most likely, be our back-up in central defence, and JET might finally get a run-out. Traore will be available to 'help out' either at left-back or on the left-wing if needed, and Wilshere will almost certainly be in the squad. With Mannone acting as back-up goalkeeper, this leaves two places.

Rumour has it that Gilles Sunu, a real physical presence up front, might be in the squad, in addition to what would be a rather redundant fourth centre-back, Kyle Bartley. However, unless Wenger wants to throw away the chance of winning an already Liverpool- and United-less FA Cup, Fabregas and Arshavin should be ready to come on if needed.

Here's hoping for a few Cupsets today and a good, non-heart-attack-inducing win at the Britannia tomorrow.