Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Wenger not concerned by Arsenal's long injury list

February 17, 2010 13:16 IST

Arsenal's long injury list for their Champions League last 16 first leg match at Porto does not worry manager Arsene Wenger, he said on Tuesday.

The north London club's injury situation is worse than first feared with defender William Gallas, forward Eduardo and goalkeeper Manuel Almunia all out of Wednesday's match.

Wenger was already resigned to losing forward Andrei Arshavin and midfielder Alex Song.

"It's not a serious concern. The concern is that the players that are here perform at their best tomorrow. It's part of a season. We don't always have all the players available to select (for) the team but I'm not bothered by that," he said.

Wenger added that defender Sol Campbell could feature in what would be his first appearance in the competition since he scored in the 2006 final which Arsenal lost to Barcelona.

"I haven't decided yet if he will start the game or not but if he plays his experience will be valuable," Wenger said.

The Frenchman also gave Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who is set to replace Almunia, a vote of confidence.

"I have great belief in Fabianski. I believe he is top level, and it is not easy for a goalkeeper to come in and out, but above all he has massive potential and at the moment what he misses is the number of games," he said.

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.