By Mike Collett
LONDON, April 18 - Arsenal will play their last
European match at Highbury on Wednesday with all eyes firmly
fixed on the future rather than looking back wistfully at the
past.
Arsene Wenger's men take on Villarreal of Spain in a first
Champions League semi-final appearance for both clubs, with a
place in the final in Paris on May 17 against AC Milan or
Barcelona the tantalising prize for the winners.
Arsenal start as favourites after reserving their best
performances this season for the Champions League.
The Londoners defeated Real Madrid and Juventus in the
previous two rounds, establishing a competition record of eight
successive games without conceding a goal.
Wenger knows that record will come under the severest test
from Villarreal, who have done well against English clubs this
season, beating Everton in the qualifying round last August and
drawing 0-0 home and away with Manchester United in the group
stages.
The two teams have been hit by injuries and suspensions.
Wenger is hoping 18-year-old Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas
recovers from a foot injury for Wednesday's first leg so that he
can unleash the sort of damage he inflicted in the home leg of
the quarter-final against Juventus last month when he scored in
a 2-0 win.
Arsenal will be without defender Sol Campbell, who is
recovering from surgery on a broken nose, and banned Spain
forward Jose Antonio Reyes.
VILLARREAL HIT
Villarreal arrive at Highbury without Argentina centre-back
Gonzalo Rodriguez, who will miss the World Cup after tearing
ligaments in his left ankle in Friday's 1-0 defeat at Barcelona.
Juan Manuel Pena, a Bolivian international who has been
Rodriguez's regular partner in central defence, is missing after
straining knee ligaments against Barca. He is also a doubt for
next week's second leg in Spain.
Villarreal goalkeeper Sebastian Viera is sidelined due to
suspension.
While Arsenal had to battle to overcome struggling West
Bromwich Albion 3-1 on Saturday with a full-strength side,
Villarreal fielded a virtual shadow team against fellow
Champions League semi-finalists Barcelona at the Nou Camp on
Friday.
Coach Manuel Pellegrini left playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme,
leading striker Diego Forlan and influential midfielders Juan
Pablo Sorin and Alessio Tacchinardi out of the squad and kept
several other first-choice players on the bench.
Defeat at the Nou Camp means Villarreal have won only once
in seven games and their best chance of playing in next season's
Champions League now lies in winning the competition.
That probably applies to Arsenal too, although the Gunners
believe they can still finish as high as fourth in the Premier
League and at worst go through to the qualifying stages.
Probable teams:
Arsenal: 1-Jens Lehmann; 27-Emmanuel Eboue, 28-Kolo Toure,
20-Philippe Senderos, 16-Mathieu Flamini; 8-Fredrik Ljungberg,
13-Alexander Hleb, 19-Gilberto, 15-Francesc Fabregas, 7-Robert
Pires; 14-Thierry Henry
Villarreal: 25-Mariano Barbosa; 17-Javi Venta, 4-Cesar Arzo,
16-Quique Alvarez, 3-Rodolfo Arruabarrena; 12-Juan Pablo Sorin,
19-Marcos Senna, 18-Alessio Tacchinardi, 8-Juan Roman Riquelme;
23-Jose Mari, 5-Diego Forlan
Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)
(additional reporting by Simon Baskett in Madrid)