Rally the old (and young) troops: it’s season crunch time.

Let’s get the bad bits out the way first: we are without (when has it been otherwise this season?) Flamini, van Persie, Hoyte, Eboue, Senderos and Rosicky. On the plus side we’ve got the increasingly excellent Diaby back, and two-thirds of our cup final sinning trio also return, which is a welcome boost too.

Then there’s Thierry: in the squad, fit to start, but patently not 100%. Rather Wenger than me to make that call, but to have him at least in the squad is better than to not have him at least in the squad, if you ask me.

We’re not the only ones: PSV are without Da Costa and Kromkamp, the former suffering from laryngitis. Since when did your singing voice need to be in tip-top nick to play football?

‘The Farmers’ – that’s their nickname, I tell you – are ploughing a furrow at the top of the Dutch Eredivisie, and they will be hoping to make Arsenal’s night a fallow one. Arsenal will of course be hoping to harvest plenty of goals. [ok – enough. Ed].

Koeman says: “Arsenal are not a typical English team. They play more a European system with fast players up front, a lot of talent in the midfield and a solid defence. It was important not to concede in Holland because we will get more space in London.”

I say: “Let’s put on a performance, not leak a daft goal, play the first half as well as the second and score some goals”.