Last year it was Tottenham with Rafael van der Vaart, so could Harry Redknapp work his magic again or will Arsene Wenger pull a rabbit out of the hat this time? No doubt the hours leading up to 11pm on Wednesday will have a big effect on the season.

Arsenal

If there is one club desperately in need of reinforcements it is the Gunners.

Sunday’s 8-2 defeat was just another example of the lack of strength in depth at the Emirates Stadium right now and for the first time since the transfer window was implemented we should see a number of last-minute deals go through for the Gunners.

It looks like left-back Andre Santos and centre-half Per Mertesacker will be brought in to try and shore up Arsenal’s leaky defence but will that be enough?

For years Arsenal have been undermined by a lack of defensive strength and rather than opt for the type of old-fashioned, English centre-half, Wenger is continuing to look towards mainland Europe.

Arsenal have drifted to 50/1 to win the Premier League and that looks a lost cause, even if they can draft in all the players they need.

The team’s main aim will be to secure a top-four spot and that is still within their reach, even if they only manage to add a few new faces.

The Gunners are 7/4 to be in the Champions League next season.

Tottenham

Much like their north London rivals Spurs are in need of a number of new faces to avoid their season being a failure before it has really got going.

Redknapp’s men have had two tough fixtures to start the campaign but even so it is obvious Tottenham are in need of a new striker and centre-half.

At present the only deadline-day arrival looks as though it will be Scott Parker from West Ham, with Bolton’s Gary Cahill still a long shot at the moment.

Tottenham’s hopes of finishing in the top four look slim at best right now but with a couple more van der Vaart-type captures they could mount at serious challenge.

Spurs are 4/1 to finish in the top four.

Blackburn

If Tottenham are keen to find a new striker then Blackburn are absolutely desperate.

Having missed out on Vedad Ibisevic, Rovers have reportedly turned their attention to Mounir El Hamdaoui.

Neither are household names and you have to fear for Steve Kean’s team after they narrowly avoided relegation last season.

Their odds of 11/10 for the drop are looking more and more appealing, although if they can unearth a goalscorer from somewhere they will certainly have the edge over the likes of Norwich, Swansea and Wigan in the relegation fight.

Rovers could also do with more cover at the back and a creative midfielder so Kean should be a busy man on Wednesday.

The Rest

A good striker is seemingly hard to come by with Stoke, Newcastle, Sunderland and Wigan all actively searching for a goalscorer.

Expect the Potters to be the busiest of that quartet given Tony Pulis‘ past transfer deadline day dealings, the Stoke boss having said he wants five new faces at the Britannia before Wednesday.

Fulham are another club hoping for reinforcements in order to maintain their European and domestic campaign. The Cottagers’ league form suffered badly during their run to the Europa League final in 2010 and Martin Jol will be keen to avoid a repeat.

Chelsea also look as though they haven’t quite finished splashing the cash, although it is more likely they’ll be trying to move on a few members of their current squad as Yossi Benayoun, Salomon Kalou and Alex look set to go.

Andre Villas-Boas will no doubt be keen to tinker with his new squad further in order to aid the Blues’ title challenge.

Having done most of their business already it is likely to be a quiet deadline day at Old Trafford, Anfield and Eastlands, although Manchester City could spring a surprise by bringing in Owen Hargreaves on a free if reports are to be believed.

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A 2-0 home defeat by top-four rivals and new-look Liverpool on Saturday means the north Londoners remain without a win from their opening two games of the domestic season and Wenger is charged with the task of galvanising an inexperienced squad for a difficult assignment against Udinese in north-east Italy.

Confirmation on Monday that the Frenchman has received a two-match ban from Uefa for breaching the terms of a previous Champions League suspension means his involvement at Stadio Communale Friuli may be limited. This, coupled with a host of injury problems, makes for worrying times for Gunners fans.

The loss of captain and talisman Cesc Fabregas has blunted Arsenal as an attacking unit and principal striker Robin van Persie is in desperate need of support – not helped by yet more conjecture about the future of Samir Nasri.

Arsenal were fortunate to secure a 1-0 first-leg win on home soil and their wretched away form in Europe – just one win in eight games – suggests they have to be opposed and Bianconeri could be the bet at 9/4 To Qualify.

The Serie A side have lost only twice at home in the league since the turn of the year – and four in total all last season – and also kept six clean sheets among their 11 wins.

Arsenal will have the edge in terms of match sharpness given that the Italian season does not start until this weekend but a lack of teeth in the final third is as tangible as it is worrying for seasoned Arsenal followers fearing a horror start to the new campaign.

A Udinese team short of competitive games against a nervous and immature Arsenal side makes for a difficult fixture to pin down in terms of a betting proposition, but the 5/2 for Total Goals (1 or less) in the 90 minutes appeals given that punters have both teams running for them.

Udinese only managed to score more than two goals on three occasions in Serie A at home all last season and the enormity of the fixture means the 5/6 for Under 2.5 goals looks decent.

Wenger, who had the look of a condemned man at the final whistle on Saturday, was adamant in his assessment that his players will turn the corner and that he will not walk away from the club.

“I don’t feel it is all doom and gloom. I feel there are also positives,” he added.

After Wednesday, next up for Arsenal is the small matter is a trip to Old Trafford to take on 6/4 Premier League title favourites and reigning champions Manchester United.

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Fabio Capello

The Italian manager has nailed his intentions to the wall already by confirming the three young players will all be amongst his starting XI at Wembley on Wednesday night – and they are 11/10 to be part of a winning England team.

Capello has previously looked to bring through the next generation of England stars during qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. That was heralded by many as a new era for England, but this optimism soon waned as the likes of Jamie Carragher came back from international retirement and then it emerged the boss had attempted to persuade 35-year-old Paul Scholes to come back into the England frame.

Many England fans will be delighted to hear the likes of Carroll, Henderson and Gibbs will all the given an opportunity to impress – and many will hope they can make the same kind of impact Adam Johnson has made during the early games of his international career. He has scored two goals for England already and is 11/4 to add to this on Wednesday.

England will be fielding a young side, but fans are going to have to remember this is a rather pointless friendly against an under-par France side (who are 13/5 to win, with 9/4 for the draw) – and what percentage of the new faces in his squad will be involved when England play their next Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales in March? It is a definite the more traditional faces will be back for then.

That is especially true among the striking options, as come March 2011 Wayne Rooney and Jermain Defoe are not going to be replaced by the likes of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Jay Bothroyd yet again.

Newcastle striker Carroll seems the best bet for a long-term striking option to come from this friendly experiment. It is 18 years ago that a young striker from Gosforth made his England debut against France at Wembley. On that day, Alan Shearer started an illustrious international career with a debut goal that saw him become a hero for all lads growing up around Newcastle.

Gateshead-born Carroll has followed in the footsteps of his hero by graduating into the famous Newcastle number nine shirt and will now be looking to copy Shearer’s introduction into the England side, and the 21-year-old is 5/1 to open the scoring for Capello’s side on Wednesday night.

Despite his high-profile off-the-field problems Carroll has impressed many with his powerful performances in the Premier League, and at a time when England are not too blessed with striking options – something exemplified by the fact Capello has turned to the likes of 32-year-old Kevin Davies and Championship forward Bothroyd (who is 15/8 to score anytime against France) in recent months – this really could be a big chance for the lad.

A great performance would catapult him up the ranks of England forwards for the coming years, and as the first England striker to have a ponytail in history then he could spark a new craze among the kids around Newcastle. Better that than the Fabricio Coloccini permed-mullett though.

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Javier Mascherano

Danish star Poulsen was widely expected to join the Reds this week and, after completing a medical and the formalities of the transfer, has joined Hodgson’s new-look side and penned a three-year deal at Anfield.

The 30-year-old, who knows Hodgson from when he was manager at FC Copenhagen between 2000 and 2002, is seen as a direct replacement for Mascherano, with his defensive midfield and tough-tackling qualities earning him a decent reputation in Serie A in the past few years.

The experienced midfielder could even be in contention to make his Reds bow in the season-opener at home to Arsenal on Sunday as his capture clears the way for Mascherano to leave (Liverpool 11/8 to win, Arsenal 9/5).

The Argentinian, speaking after their 1-0 friendly win over Ireland in Dublin on Wednesday, admitted he wanted to leave the club and is seeking a move out of England amid reports his family have failed to settle on Merseyside.

Mascherano almost joined Barcelona last summer and has expressed a desire to join the Catalan giants again this year while Inter Milan, with former Reds boss Rafa Benitez now in charge at the San Siro, are also courting the 26-year-old.

“The only thing I want to say is I don’t have nothing against the Liverpool supporters, the Liverpool people,” he said.

“My problem is not to play for Liverpool. I’m very proud to play for Liverpool. It’s another thing.

“I said to him (new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson) that maybe for my life I prefer to change the country, not to change the club – that is the fact.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool are also closing in on the capture of Middlesbrough keeper Brad Jones as Hodgson eyes experienced cover for number one Pepe Reina.

Jones is set to join the Reds for just over £2million and will cast doubt on the future of current reserve stopper Diego Cavalieri, who is attracting interest from Benfica.

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Bayern Munich

The 27-year-old was sent off during the 1-0 win over Lyon in the first leg of their semi-final for a heavy challenge on visiting striker Lisandro.

However, numerical parity was soon restored when Ribery’s France team-mate, Jeremy Toulalan, who was playing as an emergency central defender, got himself dismissed after picking up two yellow cards early in the second half at the Allianz Arena.

Former Chelsea and Real Madrid star Arjen Robben scored the only goal of the game as the French side turned in a poor performance away from home.

Ribery will definitely miss the return at the Stade Gerland on Tuesday while his availability for the final against either Inter Milan (4/6 To Qualify) or holders Barcelona (11/10) is in the balance, with a disciplinary panel set to meet in six days to decide if his automatic one-game ban should be extended.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has already called for Ribery’s punishment to fit his crime.

He said: “It’s unfortunate that the referee gave a red card.

“But we cannot change it and we have got to accept it and hope that UEFA are not too harsh on him so that he could be in final and that the ban reflects the incident.”

Match-winner Robben, who reacted badly to being substituted late on during the first leg, is warning his team-mates that they still have work to do in the second leg.

He said: “Nothing is decided yet. Perhaps we have a slight advantage but we have a difficult match ahead in Lyon.”

Lyon were badly out of sorts up front on the night but captain Cris has refused to blame the road trip to Germany for the result following the flight chaos this week.

The Brazilian central defender told rmc.fr: “There was a good atmosphere in the stadium. It was still a semi-final of the Champions League.

“Many players do not have the chance to play this kind of meeting. We should enjoy it.”

However, Cris also admitted: “Throughout the game, it was not good, really.

“In the second half, we went back a little too quiet. We did not take advantage of our superiority (following Ribery’s 37th-minute red card).

“We tried to play. We knew they were putting on pressure and trying to score right away. We tried to cope but it was complicated.”

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