Wenger won't gamble with Van Persie

SOCCER:ARSENAL ARE set to go on the attack at Camp Nou after Arsene Wenger warned that their 2-1 lead over Barcelona is undefendable. As if to reinforce the point, Wenger included one of his goalscorers from the first leg, Robin van Persie, in his squad despite the striker suffering what seemed a serious knee ligament injury in the League Cup final against Birmingham City

Van Persie, who is due to have a fitness test this morning, and Andrey Arshavin overturned a David Villa strike at the Emirates three weeks ago yet Wenger is clear that Arsenal cannot play for a goalless draw.

“Yes, we would take that (a goalless draw),” he said. “But it is a little bit of an illusion to go to Barcelona and think they will not score at all. So you have to think we want to score at least a goal.

“Is it realistic to go there to try to play a 0-0 from the first minute on? First of all it would be considerably against our nature and even tactically I don’t think it is defendable. We have not a team with 11 defenders who are happy to defend.”

Wenger, though, is confident of his side’s ability to repel Pep Guardiola’s team despite the absence of Thomas Vermaelen, his first-choice centre-back, and the shaky performance of Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny that led to Obafemi Martins’s winner for Birmingham in the League Cup final nine days ago.

“We have to fight against the preconceived ideas because the only way of thinking is that Arsenal cannot defend,” said Wenger. “I will just remind you that in the last 11 games we have seven clean sheets in the Premier League, we have conceded less goals than Man United, who have a very good defence. We can defend when we have to.”

Four goals from Barcelona’s Lionel Messi knocked Arsenal out last year in the quarter-finals after Nicklas Bendtner’s early strike had put them ahead 3-2 on aggregate, but Wenger insists his side has improved defensively. “A year ago until 3pm or 4pm, I didn’t know (if) Sol Campbell will play,” said Wenger.

“He had played three days before. In the end I decided not to play him because he was tired and we played with two left-footed players in central defence which was not ideal. We are better equipped defensively.

“We play against the best team in the world so, of course, you cannot say you go there like you go to a pre-season friendly at Barnet. You have a good chance if you play at your best. We have been a bit frustrated lately, more in the Carling Cup than the Premier League overall. This is a game of special circumstances but everybody shouldn’t think too much about confidence and think: ‘Tonight I just want to be absolutely at my best’.

“If you go into the game thinking you have to do something exceptional you destroy your team play. We want to concentrate on our team play then we can raise our level. The second leg last year was the Lionel Messi show. You can never bet on a poor performance from Messi.”

Last season Arsenal travelled to Barcelona with a weakened side that missed the injured Cesc Fabregas, Arshavin, Alex Song, Van Persie and William Gallas. This year Vermaelen, Song and Theo Walcott are absent but Wenger does not want his side to believe they are cursed. “That would create a complex in the mind of my players. We are good enough, even with the players who are out,” he said.

Wenger will not take a risk with Van Persie. “He wanted to have a go,” the manager said. “We will not take a gamble in a game of that importance of course. He will have to be fit or not fit. I’m very bad at mind games – it’s just the whole truth I give you here. The medical staff will assess him.”

Fabregas passed a late fitness test on his troublesome hamstring before flying to Spain. Walcott’s place should go to Arshavin with Samir Nasri switching to the right. Song’s replacement in the holding role is likely to be Abou Diaby.

Meanwhile, Guardiola is pondering his options in naming a makeshift central defence with suspension and injury ruling out Gerard Pique and captain Carles Puyol.

Eric Abidal, who is enjoying one of his best seasons in the Catalan capital, has successfully switched over from left back several times already this season, while Sergio Busquets has shown impressive versatility in dropping back from his normal defensive midfield role when required.

Key Battles

Messi v Koscielny

DESPITE his League Cup blunder, French centre-half Koscielny has produced a number of solid displays recently, with arguably his best coming against the Barcelona frontline at Emirates Stadium.

However, just how the 25-year-old will handle the white-hot atmosphere at the Camp Nou remains to be seen. Messi – who netted all four goals in last season's quarter-final romp – remains Barcelona's most potent attacking threat and on another night the brilliant Argentinian could have helped himself to a hat-trick in the first leg.

Xavi v Fabregas

THE battle between Fabregas, expected to return from a hamstring injury to face his old club, and Xavi was one of the highlights of the first leg, as the Catalans squared off in the thick of the action. With Sergio Busquets set to drop back into defence, former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano could be called into the side, but Xavi will be the main link man to Barcelona's formidable front three – just as Fabregas will do for the Gunners as well as aiming to bring Samir Nasri's creativity into play as often as possible.

Busquets v Bendtner

YOUNG Dane Bendtner could again find himself leading the Arsenal attack in the Nou Camp, where he scored an early goal last season. Bendtner certainly does not lack confidence, backed up by some impressive displays of late, including an FA Cup hat-trick, and will bring a testing physical presence for World Cup winner Busquets to deal with as he fills in for injured captain Carles Puyol while Gerard Pique is suspended.