ANDY HESSENTHALER has sent a defiant warning to FA Cup favourites Arsenal that Gillingham will not be going to Highbury just for the ride on Saturday.

Amid mounting Cup fever and a growing belief among supporters that the club are on the verge of a giant-killing, the Gills boss said his players would show Arsenal respect - but not too much. Forever a realist, Hessenthaler knows it will take a monumental effort on the part of his players if they are to spike the Gunners' march on Cardiff and the final.

While his players face the challenge of curbing renowned World Class players like Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, Hessenthaler is convinced the task is not beyond them. "The key will be the opening exchanges," he said. "If we can stop them scoring early on and show them how hard we are to play against, then we'll have a chance.

"We have to be solid and we must keep the ball because when you give it away to a Premier League club it's a lot harder to get back. The longer we can keep the ball, the better it will be for our confidence."

Hessenthaler's selection problems are straightforward. With a fully fit squad available he must decide who to leave out.

Mark Patterson is likely to be get the nod ahead of Nyron Nosworthy at right-back but apart from skipper Paul Smith, midfield places are up for grabs with Marcus Browning, Ty Gooden and Simon Osborn all in contention. Gillingham are likely to start in a 4-5-1 formation with top scorer Marlon King alone up front.

Arsenal must do without the suspended Dennis Bergkamp, Martin Keown, Oleg Luzhny and Gio Van Bronckhorst while Ashley Cole, Matthew Upson and goalkeeper Stuart Taylor are injured. Freddie Ljungberg has an outside chance of recovering from a rib injury while Kanu and Lauren returned unscathed this week after playing in the African Nations' Cup.