I have not gone a little bit crazy Arsenal fans, even though Theo Walcott would usually get the nod over his England international team mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for a place in the Arsenal starting line-up. There are a few good reasons for Arsene Wenger to give the Ox a start away to Aston Villa.
The injury situation is one, of course, and we should not ignore the fact that Walcott is only just back from a spell on the sidelines. He has not completed a game since his return and he also played a good portion of our Champions League win over Olympiacos in midweek.
Another reason, along similar lines, is that Theo is the one fit player we have that could replace Olivier Giroud in the centre forward role. The French striker is sure to start but the boss might not want him to play the full game after his Herculean efforts in Greece.
And assuming that the real Arsenal turn up at Villa Park you would expect us to be in the lead with around half an hour to go. The home team will have to press and they will also be tired. That is the perfect scenario for a flying Theo to enter the fray.
The final reason is that Chamberlain really needs to play and hopefully Villa will be a great game for him to regain some confidence and form. His place is under serious pressure from Joel Campbell and that should give the Ox any extra incentive he needs to shine.
What do you think Gooners?