Okay, okay, so we’ve got three out of the four of that old adage. It’ll be cold and wet and Tuesday for our visit to Kenilworth Road to face Luton, but Luton are not (last I checked), ankle-snapping Orcs nor are they a two-hour drive from London. Still, their fans will be in full throat. A crowd of just 10,356 (minus the away fans) may not sound like much, but we’d be mistaken if we underestimate their passion or their volume, not to mention the Hatters’ own prowess. It was just a month ago that Liverpool needed a stoppage time goal to escape with a draw. We’ll have to go in wary, to say the least…

There’s a lot to like about Luton. For one, there’s the banner that reads, “Football belongs to the fans, NOT sheikhs, olibarchs chancers, & bank£rs.” That’s some moxie right there, some spirit, some IDFAG attitude. That tracks with Luton’s home record, a decent five points taken (minutes away from seven) from six outings. Perhaps more impressive, they’ve conceded just eight goals in those six outings. Perhaps just as concerning if not more so is the fact that visitors have seen red twice. We’ll have to be on our best behavior if we’re to score more than once and stay at full strength, I’ll say that much.

Luton’s problem has been in trying to get up the pitch to score. Only Sheffield United have scored fewer than the Hatters’ 13 goals, and no side has kept less possession than Luton’s 36.1%. In other words, expect us to dominate possession to the tune of 70% percent but to crash against the ramparts over and over and over again. This could be either a frustrating exercise in futilty in which we narrowly escape with all three or one of those nights in which almost every shot finds the back of the net. I’d put my money on the former.

What makes Luton’s current precarious position all the more remarkable is that they will be missing no fewer than eight outfield players, which forces Rob Edwards into some difficult selection dilemmas that are quite opposite to Arteta’s. Add in the ineligibility of our loanee Lokonga, and Edwards will have to get creative with his lineup.

For ourselves, it looks likely that Tomiyasu will be rested, having come off late against Wolves with some discomfort. Zinchenko will, I’m sure, be bound and determined to atone for his dispossession late on against Wolves. I’m hopeful that Arteta will see enough in the squad to offer some rest to Saka and perhaps Martinelli as well. I could see Trossard starting on the left and Nelson on the right either side of Jesus. Ødegaard should start; he’s relatively fresh after his injury lay-off and looked livelier than ever against Wolves. Alongside him, I’d see Rice and Havertz ahead of Zinchenko, Saliba, Magalhães, and White. Should Ramsdale start, what with rumours of a move to Newcastle and an international call-up inflating his value? Hm.

Luton 0-2 Arsenal, with goals from Havertz and Nelson. That’s me going out on a limb. Share your thoughts & predictions in the comments section below…