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Leeds will be unable to use Jermaine Pennant in tomorrow's 3rd round FA Cup tie at Elland Road. It's not that Arsenal don't want him playing against us (it was allowed in the league) so much as that we don't want him cup-tied on the off-chance that he comes back to Arsenal later in the season and is needed for the FA Cup.
But they do welcome back David Batty from a 1 match suspension. Not quite a "like-for-like", Batty missed the 3-1 loss at Wolves on Sunday. James Milner started on the bench at Molyneux and seems expected to start tomorrow, perhaps in place of Pennant on the right.
All the pre-match hype seems to be about young defender Matthew Kilgallon. The 19 year old has played just 2 games for the club, since coming in for the hamstrung Lucas Radebe.
Arsene Wenger has been saying that he won't be neglecting the FA Cup this season. Mindful of what a historic feat a third successive win would be (it's been done before but not since the 19th century when things were quite different), we'd be surprised if he fielded a team this season as weak as some of previous seasons.
He may even return to what is, we still presume, his first-choice defence, with Cole back from suspension and perhaps Lauren coming back in at right back. But it's also possible that Keown will get a start instead of either Sol or Kolo.
And in midfield, too, we could see a return to first choice, if Gilberto is over the flu. The only other doubts we're aware of are Wiltord and Taylor both of whom have been struggling back to fitness, and both of whom might not have been used anyway. The injury bay page at the official site, however, reports no injuries at all. So, the only Arsenal player guaranteed to be rested for this match is Pennant! :-)
Wenger has commented on the mixed feelings Leeds may have about this match. On the one hand they might be more relaxed, since this match matters less than the league games which will decide premiership survival, and play well because of that. On the other hand they might easy pickings because they could be more concerned about the premiership game against Newcastle on Wednesday. And on the other hand (?), as Arsenal start their chase for a hattrick of FA Cup wins, Leeds might just be happy to avoid another notable hattrick with a third consecutive 4-1 home beating by the Arsenal.
The game kicks off at 5 past 4, and is live on Sky TV.
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