But he plays tonight, and that will hopefully give him a good shout at being available for the big game against Lokomotiv next Wednesday.

The team Patrick leads out will be mostly youngsters again. Cesc should get another game, and David Bentley is expected to play (he missed the last round, against Rotherham, through injury). Michal Papadopolus may join them in midfield, and the exciting-sounding striker Ryan Smith should get a game too, possibly alongside Sylvain Wiltord who like Vieira is returning from injury. Parlour is not ready to play again quite yet. Lauren and Keown are of course suspended (one more after this) but would probably not have played anyway. At right-back we should get another look at Hoyte, who's been on the first-team bench of late without getting a go.

Wolves have been suffering with quite a few injuries all season. Irwin and Ince are both big doubts for Highbury, and Lescott, Cameron, Murray, Ndah, Clyde and Okoronkwo are all missing too. Former Arsenal and Tottenham men Luzhny and Iversen are also both out.