UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST 16, SECOND LEG- Arsenal (1) v FC Porto (2):ARSENE WENGER said it would be an "amazing achievement" if Arsenal make it through tonight's showdown with Porto after suffering a triple injury crisis ahead of the must-win tie.
Cesc Fabregas, the Arsenal captain, has been ruled out with a recurrence of hamstring trouble while Wenger revealed that William Gallas had broken down in training on Sunday and was back “at the starting point” after missing the last month because of a calf injury.
He also reported that Andrey Arshavin would not be able to play the full 90 minutes, as he felt his way back from a hamstring problem.
Wenger could not project a timeframe for Gallas’s absence, beyond saying the centre-half would sit out Saturday’s Premier League visit to Hull. But his bulletin on the injury, which stems from Gallas’ lower back, suggested it would be a surprise if the France international were to play again before the end of the month.
The worst-case scenario does not bear thinking about for Wenger or the France manager, Raymond Domenech, who plans to start with Gallas at the World Cup finals in June.
Wenger will welcome back Sol Campbell from a groin problem and he will start alongside Thomas Vermaelen against Porto, who lead 2-1 from the first leg.
It is unclear whether Campbell’s body can withstand the rigours of playing in midweek and then at weekends, and Wenger suggested that he might have to rotate Campbell and Mikael Silvestre during Gallas’ absence. There is the added complication that Silvestre and Vermaelen are both most comfortable on the left side of central defence.
“Gallas has been out for a month and now he has had a recurrence of his calf injury,” Wenger said.
“He felt very well on Sunday and went out, but he has gone backwards again. We are at the starting point with Gallas unfortunately.
“At the beginning, it was a minor injury. We don’t know how long it will be, but for Hull, for example, he has no chance.
“We were impatient with him, we pushed him and he wanted to get on as well; that is why, maybe, it has happened. But there is no obvious sign as to why it keeps coming back. He has no pain at all, then he goes for a little jog and it goes again.”
Gallas is out of contract in the summer and Wenger will meet his agent this week for talks about an extension.
Wenger’s policy is to offer only one-year deals to players over 30, but he would be prepared to give Gallas two, as the player wants, if he would agree to drop his wage demands.
Fabregas, the captain and midfield talisman, has been troubled by minor grade one hamstring tears and, having felt the muscle tighten against Burnley on Saturday, which forced him off, Wenger has been advised that to push him into the Porto game would be too great a risk.
“To play him again would mean significant damage,” Wenger said. “It is a recurrence of the same hamstring injury so we have to find out why it creates some problems. We are convinced that he will only be out for a small time. He has a small chance of getting back for the weekend against Hull.”
Arshavin came on as a 61st-minute substitute against Burnley, his first appearance for three and a half weeks, and he remains short of full fitness.
“I have to find a balance in the team, to be offensively strong without neglecting our defensive side and to think about the players, if they start, who will last the 90 minutes,” Wenger said. “Arshavin is certainly a player who will not last 90 minutes if he starts.”
Wenger will take on Porto without what he considered at the beginning of the season to be the spine of his team: Gallas, Fabregas and the striker Robin van Persie, who is a long-term ankle ligament casualty.
“Without them, we can show that we are still strong enough to do it,” Wenger said. “It will be an amazing achievement if we get through.
We have not found any obvious reason (for the high number of muscular injuries). We have investigated a lot, although the long-term injuries we have had have been more contact injuries.”
Porto, on the other hand, have plenty of options in attack – with Colombia forward Falcao, Argentinian Marian Gonzalez, Uruguay’s Cristian Rodriguez and Brazil international Hulk all pressing to be included in the three-man frontline.
Guardian Service
Arsenal v Porto
Head-to-HeadPlayed: 5
Wins: Arsenal 2, Porto 2 (one draw)
Previous Meetings (all Champions League)
Sep 26th, 2006 Arsenal 2 Porto 0
Dec 6th, 2006 Porto 0 Arsenal 0
Sep 30th, 2008 Arsenal 4 Porto 0
Dec 10th, 2008 Porto 2 Arsenal 0
Feb 17th, 2010 Porto 2 Arsenal 1
Appearances in Last Eight
Champions League: Porto 6, Arsenal 5
European Cup: Porto 8, Arsenal 6
