Arsenal v Juventus; Gunners Look To Ruin Vieira's Return

Arsenal go into Tuesday night’s Champions League quarter final first leg tie with Juventus at Highbury (March 28) as the only English representatives remaining in the competition.
The Gunners are as yet unbeaten in this season’s competition, emerging from a first round group containing Ajax, Sparta Prague and FC Thun before overcoming the more celebrated Real Madrid in the last 16. The Serie A champions currently represent an altogether tougher challenge for Arsene Wenger’s men than the Spaniards, but hopes remain high of progression.
This is due largely to the return to form of the north London side in recent weeks. While qualification for the Champions League for next season is far from assured at this stage, Arsenal seem to have put their patchy form of mid-season behind them. A thumping 4-0 win at Fulham on March 4 immediately preceded the goalless draw which took them past Real Madrid on March 8, while home wins over Liverpool on March 12 and Charlton Athletic on March 18 have kept them in touch with the Premiership’s top four.
Meanwhile Juventus still hold an eight point lead at the top of the Italian championship, that despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Roma in Turin on Saturday (March 25). In Europe they sailed through a group containing Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Rapid Vienna, but are still somewhat fortunate to have reached this stage. On the verge of elimination during their second round clash with Werder Bremen of Germany, the Italians benefited from a glaring goalkeeping error in the final moments of the second leg to keep their hopes alive.
The postponement of Arsenal’s weekend date with Portsmouth due to a waterlogged Fratton Park pitch may help Wenger’s side. Having had over a week to prepare for the visit of The Old Lady, the Highbury club may be the fresher of the two sides. However, both have their fair share of absentees for the clash with injuries and suspensions taking their usual toll.
Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira returns to the club with which he made his name, but fellow superstar Pavel Nedved is ruled out due to suspension. Also missing out is long-time Juve and Italy talisman Allesandro Del Piero, who is suffering from a thigh injury. David Trezeguet and Zlatan Ibrahimovic look set to start in attack, ensuring a busy night for Arsenal’s improving but inexperienced back-line.
Sol Campbell will again be missing from that unit. Having recovered from an ankle injury the former Tottenham Hotspur defender now has a bruised toe and will not feature. This should see Phillipe Senderos and Kolo Toure continue their central defensive partnership, with the Ivorian one booking away from a suspension ahead of the return fixture in Turin next week. Emmanuel Eboue and Matthieu Flamini should continue in the full-back roles in the continued absence of Lauren and Ashley Cole.
The problems in the Arsenal team are not limited to defence, with the experienced Freddie Ljunberg ruled out with a calf problem, and a hamstring strain making Jose Antonio Reyes doubtful. Alexander Hleb may start in place of Ljungberg, while Robert Pires could deputise for Reyes if he fails to prove his fitness in time. On the positive side, Robin van Persie is fit again after a troublesome broken toe which has kept him out of action for long spells this season.
The tie at Highbury will mark the fifth occasion that these two sides have met in European competition. The English side emerged victorious from the 1980 Cup Winners Cup semi-final over two legs, drawing 1-1 on home soil before a single goal triumph in Italy. The clubs also met in the second group stage of the 2002 Champions League competition, with Arsenal winning 3-1 at home but losing 1-0 in the Stadio Delle Alpi.
Looking a little wider Juventus’ record in England is a poor one. Last year’s 2-1 defeat to eventual Champions League winners Liverpool at Anfield was one four defeats in a row on English turf, having been beaten by Manchester United and Newcastle United aswell as Arsenal in recent years. In additon, Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers have both knocked the Turin giants out of European competition in their illustrious history.
Much of the spotlight is likely to be on Vieira on his return. He is likely to receive a warm reception from the faithful before the game, but expect the Highbury crowd to turn on him once the action gets under way. Key absentees on both sides make it difficult to predict what will happen, but it is imperative that the Arsenal rearguard continue their recent progress and shut out an outfit which still contains an array of sparkling talent.
Van Persie could be an X-factor for the home side, and so with an optimistic hat placed firmly atop my head and with one eye on Juventus’ poor record on these shores, a narrow Gunners win may just be the likeliest outcome.
Verdict; Arsenal 1 Juventus 0