Arsenal, who face Juventus in Turin tomorrow defending a 2-0 first-leg lead in their Champions League quarter-final, have been boosted by the news man-of-the-moment Cesc Fabregas has been passed fit to make the trip.
The young Spaniard, who scored one and then made the other for Thierry Henry against the Italians last week, suffered a badly-bruised foot during the 5-0 thrashing of Aston Villa in the Premiership on Saturday.
Defender Emmanuel Eboue is also a fitness worry because of a groin problem, but will also travel.
Veteran Sol Campbell is on stand-by for what would be a dramatic reintroduction to first-team action, while French youngster Abou Diaby is ready to step into midfield should he be called upon.
England centre-back Campbell has not featured since February 1st when he suffered a nightmare first half against West Ham - and left Highbury after being substituted at the break.
An ankle injury - and then last week a bruised toe - hampered his recovery after the 31-year-old had been being given an extended leave of absence by manager Arsene Wenger.
Robbie Fowler has yet to get any assurances from Rafael Benitez that he will be offered a longer-term deal at Liverpool at the end of the season, despite scoring his 173rd goal for the club over the weekend.
The 30-year-old overtook Kenny Dalglish in Liverpool's all-time scoring charts with that goal at West Bromwich - his second since rejoining in January - to establish him as the fifth highest scorer in the club's history.
Yet Fowler is contracted only until July 1st and, while Benitez has admitted being impressed with his form, the former England forward admits he has had "no indication" of whether he will be allowed to extend his stay on Merseyside.
That has effectively left him with five Premiership matches - he is cup-tied in the FA Cup, having appeared for Manchester City in the third round against Scunthorpe - to prove his worth.
"It's a bit of a weird situation really, because when most players have six weeks left of a season or contract they want their future sorted out," the striker said.
"I'm different because I really don't mind waiting until the end of the season.
"I just want to stay here, so I just hope I get a positive answer when it comes. I've known from the start this is just a short-term deal and the decision won't be taken lightly by the manager. All I can do is sit and wait."
Entertainment company Mansion pulled out of £70 million shirt sponsorship talks with Manchester United yesterday, upset at the way negotiations were finally handled. United's £9 million-a-year deal with current shirt sponsors Vodafone finishes at the end of this season.
In a statement, Mansion said United had told them at the weekend that another company had been simultaneously agreeing a deal with the club. Mansion run an international casino, sports exchange and sports book business.
However, United said in a statement last night: "All the parties were aware that several discussions were going on at the same time and our priority is to look for the most appropriate deal for Manchester United."
Middlesbrough midfielder Gazika Mendieta will miss the rest of the season after breaking a bone in his foot in training.
Celtic captain Neil Lennon moved to quash any conspiracy theories ahead of their crucial Bank of Scotland Premier League match against Hearts tomorrow night. The club, 17 points clear at the top of the table, just need a victory over the second-placed Hearts at Celtic Park to win back the championship from rivals Rangers. However, the Tynecastle club will grab a Champions League spot over the chasing Ibrox men if they stay in second place.
Rangers closed the gap behind Hearts to just three points on Sunday with an impressive 4-1 win over Dundee United at Tannadice.
Some fans, confident the title will eventually arrive at Celtic Park at some point in the last seven matches of the season, have indicated they would not mind their favourites being beaten by the Gorgie side in order to help deprive the Ibrox men of a Champions League spot for next season.
But the Irishman had a firm message to those Parkhead supporters, saying: "Put that to the back of your heads, it's just nonsense."
