Sheffield Utd v Arsenal:Bramall Lane, 8.05Arsenal will take an emaciated attack to Bramall Lane tonight after Thierry Henry yesterday became their fourth forward to be ruled out of the FA Cup fifth-round replay against Sheffield United.
An Achilles injury will ensure the Frenchman's absence, with Dennis Bergkamp, Jose Antonio Reyes and Robin van Persie all suspended. To add to Arsene Wenger's despair Robert Pires picked up an ankle injury in Saturday's draw at Southampton.
In desperation Jeremie Aliadiere, who has played only eight minutes of first-team football since injuring his knee ligaments in the Community Shield last August, will definitely play some part. Fredrik Ljungberg is likely to start in support of a sole striker, with 18-year-old Quincy Owusu-Abeyie or 17-year-old Arturo Lupoli competing for that role.
With Sol Campbell, Edu and Gilberto Silva also injured, a further reshuffle will see Gael Clichy impersonate a left winger and either Cesc Fabregas or Mathieu Flamini appear on the right of midfield.
Ljungberg played a similarly central striking role, without much success, in last week's Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich. "I've done it at the end of games when it's a bit more open," he said. "Then I enjoy it. But playing up front is probably not my thing. If I get long balls and stuff, like I did at Bayern, then I can't do that much as I'm not that big."
Both Bergkamp and Reyes earned their suspensions in the first meeting against United, but improved discipline will be required tonight with the home captain Chris Morgan urging his side to again "get in the faces" of the Premiership champions.
"When you're playing Arsenal, you have to close them down," he said. "With players of their ability, you cannot stand off them. If you do, it is impossible to stop them. Whatever team they put out, if we stand off them they will pass the ball around us."
The United manager Neil Warnock is far from confident, despite the visitors' injury concerns. "The element of surprise has gone for me, which I felt we had when we went down there," he said. "I think it will be 10 times harder to beat them this time than it was at Highbury."
Southampton's David Prutton misses tonight's fifth-round replay at Brentford after being sent off in the 1-1 Premiership draw with Arsenal.
Prutton faces further punishment after being charged by the FA with improper conduct for pushing referee Alan Wiley.
Manager Harry Redknapp could end up changing the whole midfield quartet. Already without Prutton, Redknapp has Nigel Quashie cup-tied, son Jamie nursing a knee strain and Graeme Le Saux suffering flu symptoms.
Redknapp believes he can swap a striker as well with Kevin Phillips returning to replace either Henri Camara or Peter Crouch at Griffin Park and still get through to a quarter-final clash at home to holders Manchester United.
Blackburn manager Mark Hughes is anxious Paul Dickov shrugs off a groin injury in time to face Burnley in their fifth-round replay at Ewood Park.
