Arsenal vs. Aston Villa: Match Review

Arsenal managed to stay at the top of the Premier League table after a nail-biting draw with Aston Villa which was settled in stoppage time by a late equalizer from Nicklas Bendtner. The Gunners have only taken two points from their last two games and are now only one point ahead of last season's Premier League Champions, Manchester United.

An own goal from Philippe Senderos gave Aston Villa the lead after 27 minutes, and with Arsenal lacking a decisive touch in the final third it looked as though the Gunners would suffer their first defeat at the Emirates this season. However, young Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner showed some of the fighting spirit for which Arsenal has become renowned, denying Villa at the death with one of the last actions of the game.

Lineups:
Arsenal: Manuel Almunia; Gael Clichy, Philippe Senderos, William Gallas, Bacary Sagna; Abou Diaby, Mathieu Flamini, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Hleb; Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor

Aston Villa: Scott Carson; Martin Laursen, Wilfred Bouma, Curtis Davies, Shaun Maloney; Gareth Barry, Nigel Reo-Coker, Ashley Young, Craig Gardner; John Carew, Gabriel Agbonlahor

The game started with a frenetic pace more typical of a match between Manchester United and Arsenal than one between the Gunners and the Villans.

The first decent opening came for Arsenal in the seventh minute when Emmanuel Adebayor flicked a long pass to Theo Walcott on the edge of the area. The England international, who had scored a brace against Birmingham a week earlier, took the ball on his chest and turned towards goal before firing a low shot which Scott Carson was forced to turn around the post at full stretch.

It had been a positive opening for the league leaders, but Martin O'Neills' Aston Villa are far from walkovers, and created a chance of their own when a sprint from the speedy Gabriel Agbonlahor saw the Villa striker almost alone in the area. An incredible saving tackle from William Gallas spared Manuel Almunia from making a save.

18-year-old Walcott was the source of inspiration for Arsenal in the early exchanges, as his pace saw him run past three defenders before sending a cross too far into the area and out for a goal kick.

Philippe Senderos had a chance in the Villa box after Carson had spilled a corner, but the Swiss international defender could only poke a shot horribly wide after being surprised by the gift of an opportunity.

The central defender, standing in for the injured Kolo Toure, put one in goal in the 27th minute though, after a cross from Agbonlahor saw Senderos divert the ball past his own wrong-footed keeper to give Aston Villa the lead.

The home side were stunned by the mistake and it showed as Villa almost doubled their lead only for Manuel Almunia to acrobatically push an effort from Shaun Maloney onto the frame of the goal.

Arsenal regrouped, but were unable to penetrate the Villa defense, going into halftime 1-0 down after a disappointing showing.

The home side were strong in the opening minutes of the first half, with Walcott forcing another good save out of Carson after a neat one-two with Cesc Fabregas. Space opened up for Alex Hleb about twenty yards out from goal, but the Belorussian, not known for his shooting skills, hit a tame effort well wide.

Villa were strong on the counterattack though, and Agbonlahor forced another full-stretch save from Manuel Almunia after a shot from the edge of the eighteen-yard-box.

Substitute Marlon Harewood almost grabbed the second for Villa after brushing off the ineffective Philippe Senderos, but was denied by yet another fine save from Almunia.

As the ninety minute mark approached it looked as though Arsenal were going to be subject to their first home defeat of the season. However, a good spell of possession for the Gunners finally resulted in a last-gasp goal as Nicklas Bendtner stabbed home from close range to give the Gunners a valuable point.

Blackburn vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

Only two days after defeating Chelsea in the Premier League Arsenal travel to Ewood Park to face Blackburn in the Carling Cup quarterfinals.

The team is likely to be hugely different from the near-full-strength squad that beat the blues to keep Arsenal on top of the Premier League, as Arsene Wenger always tries to field his kids during cup ties.

Robin van Persie is the only player who featured on Sunday that I see as likely to play on Tuesday, and the striker is only likely to play at Ewood because he is struggling to recover match fitness after a long spell on the sidelines due to injury.

Lukasz Fabianksi will probably start in goal, behind a young defense of Justin Hoyte, Philippe Senderos, Alex Song, and Armand Traore.

In midfield, Neves Denilson, Abou Diaby, Lassana Diarra, and Theo Walcott are the most obvious choices, although after Diarra's declaration that he will leave the club I'm not sure if I'd put him in, even for a Carling Cup game.

Up front I would like to see Robin van Persie partnering the impressive Nicklas Bendtner, although Eduardo could play instead of either of the two.

Van Persie needs to reach match fitness soon, and I believe that Bendtner has more of a future at Arsenal than Eduardo, so I hope to see him rather than the Croat.

Although Blackburn are a very good side, our youngsters have proven again and again that they can play with the best, so I expect a tough 2-1 win to propel the Gunners into the semifinals.

Sevilla vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

Update: William Gallas, Gael Clichy, and Emmanuel Adebayor did not travel to Spain with the Arsenal squad.

Premier League leaders Arsenal travel to Spain this Tuesday to face off against struggling Sevilla. The two teams lead Champions League Group H after four games, with Arsenal already qualified on ten points and Sevilla one point behind. Slavia Prague and Steaua Bucharest close up the group with four and zero points respectively.

With Arsenal already qualified and Sevilla virtually assured of qualification this game may determine which of the two clubs finishes first in the group.

Arsenal will be confident going into the match, following a fine run of form which has seen the Gunners unbeaten this season. Arsene Wenger's squad drew Slavia Prague 0-0 in their last Champions League match, but followed up with wins against Reading and Wigan before and after the international break. The Gunners know they can beat Sevilla (the home game against Sevilla was a 3-0 win) and will be looking to do it again in Spain.

Sevilla will not be nearly as confident, as their form in the Spanish Primera Liga has been poor this season. The Spanish giants were defeated by Mallorca this weekend, and their two games before that were a draw at minnows Denia and and a loss at Villareal.

Supporters of the Spanish club will take some solace in the injury plague at Arsenal though.

Alex Hleb, Mathieu Flamini, Robin van Persie, and Abou Diaby will all miss the match due to injury. Arsene Wenger is also unwilling to risk some of his key players, with Gael Clichy, William Gallas and Emmanuel Adebayor not making the trip to Spain since Arsenal have already qualified..

Arsenal's back line will be somewhat changed, with Bacary Sagna and Kolo Toure the only regular defensive starters still in the squad. Philippe Senderos will likely start alongside Toure in central defense, with talented youngster Armand Traore filling in for Clichy at left-back.

A depleted midfield lineup will probably see the return of Gilberto Silva, after missing many games due to the incredible form of Mathieu Flamini. Tomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Eboue will probably prowl the wings, while Cesc Fabregas will almost certainly start at the heart of the midfield.

Of course, Theo Walcott could also be played over Eboue, with Rosicky switching to the right.

Up front, Emmanuel Adebayor and strike partner Robin van Persie will both be missing. Eduardo is likely to start up front, alongside either Walcott or Nicklas Bendtner.

I feel that Bendtner may be given a rare start after making a major impact upon coming in against Wigan, especially considering that Walcott picked up a minor knock against Wigan.

While I would have been afraid to face Sevilla with a depleted squad last season, the Spanish side have stuttered recently, and with Dani Alves' loss of form, I feel we should once again be able to win.

I predict a 2-1 victory for Arsenal, placing the Gunners firmly at the top of group H.

Reading vs. Arsenal: Match Review

Arsenal won away at Reading to reclaim the top spot in the Premiership on goals scored.

Mathieu Flamini, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Alex Hleb made it 3-0 to the Gunners before Nicky Shorey pulled one back for Reading near the end of normal time to wrap up a comfortable win for Arsenal.

Lineups:
Reading: Marcus Hahnemann; Nicky Shorey, Ivar Ingimarsson, Graeme Murty, Ibrahima Sonko; Bobby Convey, Brynjar Gunnarsson, James Harper, Stephen Hunt; Kevin Doyle, Dave Kitson

Arsenal: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna, William Gallas, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy; Emmanuel Eboue, Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, Tomas Rosicky; Alex Hleb; Emmanuel Adebayor

Arsenal started brightly, with Adebayor hitting the post in the fourth minute of play. This drew comparisons to Arsenal's 4-0 victory over Reading at the Madejski last season, in which they scored in the first minute.

Cesc Fabregas hit a brilliant through ball to the lanky Togolese striker. Adebayor rolled the ball calmly past the onrushing Marcus Hahnemann, only to see it roll out of play off of the base of the American keeper's right-hand post.

The near-miss showed Arsenal's attacking intent, but a Reading defense which placed ten men behind the ball proved difficult to break down, even for the defense-cutting Gunners.

Manuel Almunia was tested for the first time just after the 30 minute mark after a clearing header fell to Brynjar Gunnarsson. The Reading veteran made good contact with the ball but Almunia was equal to his effort, turning the ball past the post.

Six minutes later Arsenal were granted a great opportunity when Gunnarsson pushed Fabregas down just outside the penalty arc. Fabregas teed the ball up for Kolo Toure, but the center-back shot horribly wide.

Reading couldn't hold Arsenal back for too long though, and the Gunners finally got the goal they deserved just before the stroke of half time.

Adebayor found Hleb on an overlapping run, and the Belorussian midfielder unselfishly pulled the ball back to Mathieu Flamini who tapped the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the season, bringing Arsenal into half time 1-0 up.

The young Gunners wanted to win by a two goal margin though, as they needed goal differential to go into the international break ahead of Manchester United.

It was Adebayor's chance to shine this time, finishing brilliantly after Cesc Fabregas (in his 100th Premiership start for the club) laid the ball back to the striker. It was Arsenal's 1,000th goal in the Premiership, and Adebayor's seventh of the season.

The big frontman got a second only minutes later, but was denied by a bad offsides flag. It was a well-worked goal, so it was a shame to see it go to waste.

Arsenal wouldn't be denied a third though, and it was Alex Hleb who would strike next after picking up a loose ball from a misplaced kick. The master-dribbler skipped past a challenge before coming face-to-face with Marcus Hahnemann. The Reading goalie dove to his right as Hleb faked him out, using his quick feet to pull the ball back onto his right foot before smashing a shot into the back of the net.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, there were still more than ten minutes to play.

Cesc Fabregas was booked for a foul on Emerson Fae, meaning that the Spaniard will face a one match ban for his fifth yellow card of the season.

Nicky Shorey, who has been called up to play for the England national team, then hit a free kick against Almunia's left upright.

The full-back got his consolation goal three minutes before the end of regular time, after a moment of chaos in the Arsenal defense. Shorey pounced on the mistake, and made none of his own, pulling one back for a sorry Reading.

It made no difference though, as Arsenal won their 27th game in all competitions to climb back to the top of the Premier League table with a game in hand.

Arsenal vs. Manchester United: Match Preview

Match Review

The Premier League's top two title challengers are set to battle it out at the Emirates this Saturday in what is sure to be one of the most exciting fixtures of the season. Arsene Wenger's first-placed Arsenal team is even on points and goal differential with Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, and both teams are in fine veins of form.

The winner of this game (if there is one) will go clear at the top of the Premier League, and this game could be one of the biggest factors in Arsenal's title aspirations. The title is, of course, not purely dependent on top four games, as Arsenal completed the double against last season's champions.

Both teams will be confident coming into the match. Arsenal are unbeaten this season, having drawn their last Premiership game 1-1 at Anfield in an impressive performance. Arsenal have yet to drop points at the Emirates and a 3-0 midweek win over Sheffield United in the Carling Cup will also bring confidence to any Arsenal youngsters who may play on Saturday.

Manchester United started the season badly, drawing twice and losing once in their first three games of the Premier League season. However, things have picked up for the Reds, and Alex Ferguson's team have won the eight games since their loss at rivals Manchester City. Although they were dumped out of the Carling Cup, the side won last Saturday's game 4-1 against Middlesbrough.

However, United will have some injuries to deal with. While Arsenal are missing only Robin van Persie and Philippe Senderos, Manchester United will be missing a contingent of six players. Crucially, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, and Ji-Sung Park are all injured, meaning that Manchester United will be light in the midfield. Also missing are Louis Saha, Mikael Silvestre, and second goalie Ben Foster.

Arsenal will once again have Manuel Almunia in goal, with Jens Lehmann looking as though his time as Arsenal's number one is over.

In front of him will most likely be the familiar back-four of Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, and Gael Clichy.

Our defensive lineup will be quite stretched against United, with Rooney, Tevez, and Ronaldo being the main threats up front for the visiting team. Clichy and Sagna may have to limit their runs into the attacking third on account of Ronaldo's pace, and although our entire back line is fairly pacy, they may have trouble dealing with the Portuguese winger.

The most likely midfield setup (and in my opinion the best) would be Alex Hleb, Mathieu Flamini, Cesc Fabregas, and Tomas Rosicky. However, Arsene Wenger has been favoring Eboue in the midfield, and if we go with a 4-5-1 the Ivorian could play on the right wing, with Hleb being moved into the hole behind a lone Adebayor.

Another possibility is Gilberto's inclusion. Wenger was very complimentary of his performance against Sheffield United in the Carling Cup, and he may play despite Mathieu Flamini's impressive form.

Up front I would like to see Theo Walcott alongside Emmanuel Adebayor. The English teenager registered an incredible performance against Sheffield on Wednesday, making some amazing runs despite not managing a goal. Walcott is a good finisher, and could turn provider for Adebayor or any of the Arsenal midfielders.

Eduardo is another option, and his brace at Bramall Lane on Wednesday will make him a strong contender to start the match as well. The Croatian striker is an excellent finisher and could provide the deadly edge that Adebayor has been lacking in his past few matches.

In any case though, Adebayor is almost certain to start up front, whether it is on his own or alongside Walcott or Eduardo.

This match will be a difficult but entertaining one, with the two sides widely regarded as the best creative attacking teams in the Premiership. Arsenal's one-touch football should dominate the makeshift United midfield, but last year's champions will have dangerous chances on free kicks as many of their players are good in the air.

In the attacking third our forwards will not be winning many headers (due to the impressive presences of Ferdinand and Vidic) so we will have to do the usual ground-based passing that Arsenal is so well known for.

If we can silence Cristiano Ronaldo we should be able to scrape through with a win, so hopefully Flamini's work-rate will combine with the skill of our back four to keep the winger at bay. If we manage to do that, I think we can come out 2-1 winners in this important match.

Liverpool vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

Match Review

Here it is, Arsenal's first real testing match of the Premier League season. We are currently on top of the league following a run of great form. With only two points dropped this season (at home to Blackburn after a Jens Lehmann clanger) we will be going to Anfield with plenty of confidence. Rafa Benitez's Liverpool side will not have the same morale though.

Whereas the Arsenal squad find themselves on a run of twelve straight victories, and come off of a 7-0 midweek win over Slavia Prague, Liverpool come into this match with only one victory in the month of October. The Merseyside team, which is currently in fourth in the Premiership, suffered a humiliating 2-1 defeat at Besiktas on Wednesday, and have also drawn with Tottenham (who Arsenal defeated 3-1) and lost to Marseillie 1-0 this month. Their only win of October came against their arch-rivals Everton, and even that came only after many favorable calls (a doubtable penalty, as well as two penalty shouts for Everton).

In terms of injuries Liverpool are also slightly worse off. Missing out will be Harry Kewell, Daniel Agger, and most importantly new signing Fernando Torres. Liverpool will find it tough to crack a thus far watertight Arsenal defense without the young Spaniard.

Arsenal are also missing their top striker, Robin van Persie, who was injured on international duty with the Netherlands. The only other injury to Arsene Wenger's squad is Philippe Senderos, who was unlikely to start anyway.

Wenger's lineup will almost certainly feature Manuel Almunia in goal again, and I have to say, I am starting to gain some confidence in the man.

In front of Almunia will be Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, and Gael Clichy. Our back line has been solid so far this season (conceding only 6 goals in all competitions, with two being Lehmann blunders) so I don't think that we should concede many goals, even against a quality Liverpool side.

The midfield will once again be a bit tough to predict, but I once again suspect that Arsene Wenger may drop Emmanuel Eboue in favor of Tomas Rosicky. On the other wing will be Alex Hleb (who was instrumental in the 7-0 dismantling of Slavia) and in the center will be the effective partnership of Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini. While Liverpool have an impressive midfield lineup (especially Steven Gerrard) I think that Arsenal should be in control for most of the action in the middle of the pitch. Fabregas and Hleb are masterful passers, and Flamini's tough tackling will keep pressure on the Merseysiders. Fabregas, Hleb, and Rosicky will all be potent goal threats, and Hleb, if he plays again like he did against Slavia, will wreak havoc on the Liverpool defense.

Up front, Emmanuel Adebayor will partner either Theo Walcott or Eduardo. Walcott would be my preferred choice, as he was electrifying on Tuesday. However, Eduardo is also a threat, and with goals hopefully coming from midfield I don't know how much help we'll need up front.

Arsenal's offensive players can run rings around even the likes of Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia, and Steven Finnan. For that reason, we should be able to create lots of chances, and if Adebayor manages to take a few of his shots well, he should be able to score at least once. With goals also coming from midfield, I think that we will be able to get two past a tough Liverpool defense.

The Liverpool attack has also looked decidedly blunt without Fernando Torres. I think the Reds will step up against the quality opposition provided by our youngsters though, so we will have to look out for Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt, and Andrei Voronin.

This game (and next weekend's game against Manchester United) will be the defining point of our season, and if we manage to win, we can finally silence the pessimists among football pundits. Liverpool will be a stern test, but I believe we can win this one 2-1, with Liverpool's goal coming from a Steven Gerrard set piece.

Arsenal vs. Slavia Prague: Match Preview

Match Review

Group H leaders Arsenal take on third-placed Slavia Prague at the Emirates this coming Tuesday. Arsenal will be confident coming into this match, having won eleven straight games in all competitions. A 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers this past Saturday will do nothing to ruin their morale.

Arsenal would do well not to underestimate the Czech team though. Slavia currently top the table in the Czech league, having collected 25 points out of a possible 30 this season. Slavia are 9 points ahead of Sparta Prague, the team that Arsenal defeated 3-0 to qualify for the Champions League group stage. While they may have lost their last Champions League game (a 4-2 defeat at Sevilla) Slavia do have a bit of pedigree as giant-killers. The Prague team defeated Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam home and away to qualify for the tournament.

However, the Czechs will have to play very well to defeat a nearly full-strength Arsenal squad. Arsenal's only missing players will be Phillipe Senderos and Robin van Persie, and while the loss of the Dutch striker will be lamented, Senderos was unlikely to start anyways, due to the return of William Gallas.

Arsene Wenger's lineup is likely to be nearly the same as that which played Bolton, with only one switch likely - Tomas Rosicky may start over Emmanuel Eboue.

That means that Manuel Almunia will probably start in goal, with the benched goalie being either Jens Lehmann or Lukasz Fabianski.

In front of Almunia will be Arsenal's starting backline of Bacary Sagna, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, and Gael Clichy. I can't foresee our defense having any difficulty in keeping the Slavia strikers at bay, and if Kolo Toure can strike a free kick against Slavia the same way he did against Bolton, we may not even miss Robin van Persie.

The most likely midfield lineup (and the best in my opinion) would be Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini in the middle, with Tomas Rosicky and Alex Hleb on the flanks. The Czech national team captain is likely to start over Emmanuel Eboue who struggled to have an impact on Saturday and seems to be losing his place in the Arsenal side. Other options in the midfield include Abou Diaby, Gilberto, and Lassana Diarra; but while Diaby and Gilberto may get some time as substitutes I don't see either of them starting.

Arsenal's impressive midfield lineup should boss around Slavia's midfielders, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some goals coming from the midfield. More likely to score though, would be our front line.

Up front Arsene Wenger still has many options despite the loss of Robin van Persie due to injury. Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo started against Bolton on Saturday, and are the most likely candidates to start on Tuesday as well. However, Arsenal's young starlet Theo Walcott has been pushing for a starting berth as a striker, and Nicklas Bendtner will be looking for some action up front as well. No matter who plays, if Sevilla was able to put four past them, we should be able to score a few of our own...

While I urge Arsenal fans not to be too overconfident in this fixture, I do feel that we are heavy favorites both to win this game, and head the group in qualifying for the knockout stages. I'd guess we win this one 2-0.

Arsenal Rumors: Bendtner On His Way Out

Arsenal's young Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner could be on his way out of the club. The 6 ft. 4 in. front man performed admirably in Arsenal's preseason fixtures after returning from a season long loan to Birmingham.

The few games that he played during the Summer prompted me to write an article comparing the talents of Bendtner and the prodigal Englishman Theo Walcott. In that article, I stated that Bendtner could be an even more prolific striker than Walcott has been slated to become. Bendtner is good in the air, towering over most defenders; but he also has strength and skill on the ball.

With his great size comes a great amount of strength, and his dribbling in the preseason fixture against PSG was what really caught my eye. As he is one of our greatest talents, I would be heartbroken to see him playing for any other team.

However, the incredible form of Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie has kept him out of any first team action so far this season. Due to this lack of first team chances, he has stated that he may seek to play for another club.

"It's obvious that I don't want to sit on the bench for two years.

"There might be problems with my form in a few months, but I might also get more playing time.

"I will stay at Arsenal to fight for my chance and in case it doesn't work, I will join a different club permanently."

Let's hope that he is given some chances, so he stays at Arsenal. Let's also hope that Arsene Wenger was right when he said that Bendtner would not be leaving the club.

West Ham vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

Arsenal are set to play an exciting match on Saturday as they take on West Ham, the only team ever to beat Arsenal at the Emirates. West Ham are something of a bogey team for the Gunners, having won their last 4 Premiership meetings, and Arsenal will not be happy if they lose to recently departed Freddy Ljungberb. However, Arsene Wenger's boys will be heavy favorites to win this match, especially considering form that sees them undefeated in 17 games (since the loss to West Ham last season). Both teams have been performing well recently though, as Arsenal are in first, and West Ham not too far behind in seventh.

Arsene Wenger has told Arsenal.com that Alex Hleb may or may not be ready in time for Saturday. In other injury news, Emmanuel Eboue returned from injury against Newcastle, but probably won't feature on Saturday, as he is not match fit. Alex Song has also been added to the injury list, although he probably wouldn't have featured anyway. The other injured players are all still out, although Wenger did put something of a time frame on their returns.

Edit: Hleb is now fit but Eduardo is injured and Theo Walcott is set to be rested

“William Gallas is maybe a week or 10 days away,” said Wenger. “But I would not like to set a time on it really. As for Rosicky you can probably fix the date for Sunderland [next Sunday]. Jens Lehmann will be another week.”

Arsenal come off of the 5-0 defeat of Derby County last weekend and a 2-0 win over Newcastle in the Carling Cup on Tuesday. They will therefore be high in confidence - especially Emmanuel Adebayor and Cesc Fabregas, who have each scored 6 goals this season. Fabregas has scored a goal in each of his last 4 Premier League games and Adebayor recorded a hat-trick in the win over Derby.

Other starters will most likely include Bacary Sagna, Philippe Senderos, Kolo Toure, and Gael Clichy in the back line. It will be interesting to see who Wenger opts to play in the midfield, although Fabregas, Gilberto, Flamini, and Diaby are the most likely candidates if Hleb doesn't manage to return in time. Up front Arsene will most likely start Adebayor and van Persie, although Eduardo and Theo Walcott are also possibilities. Maybe we'll even see Nicklas Bendtner come off the bench.

Whoever we start, we should certainly be playing for a win, even against a bogey team. Craig Bellamy and Dean Ashton have been on decent form for the Hammers this season, but our defense shouldn't have too much trouble handling them if there are no errors from Senderos. We should get another clean sheet, and I expect a few goals from our side as well. I don't want to be too optimistic by predicting 3-0, so I'll go ahead and say that we should win 2-0, to stay at the top of the table.

Match Review

Arsenal's Internationals: Who will be in action this week

William Gallas, Bacary Sagna, Lassana Diarra, Abou Diaby - Gallas and Sagna have both been called up for Raymond Domenech's France squad for this week's European Qualifiers against Scotland and Wold Cup winners Italy. However, with Gallas suffering from a groin injury and Sagna from a back injury, it is unlikely that either will see playing time. Lassana Diarra is likely to play at least some part of both games. Abou Diaby has been called up for France's U21 games against Malta and Wales and is likely to feature in both fixtures.

Kolo Toure, Emanuel Eboue - Toure and Eboue were selected for the Ivory Coast's African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Gabon which is to be played later today.

Robin van Persie - The Dutch striker (and Holland's top scorer in Euro Qualifying) was called up for the Netherlands' qualifying games against Bulgaria and Albania this week.

Tomas Rosicky - The Czech captain has been called up to represent the Czech's in their qualifying matches against San Marino and the Republic of Ireland.

Alex Hleb - The pacy midfielder is likely to start for Belarus in their tricky tie against Romania as well as the game with Slovenia. He will likely be a big factor in his side's Euro 2008 qualifying hopes.

Jens Lehmann - The error prone German 'keeper has been assured by Germany coach Joachim Low that he will maintain his starting spot over Oliver Kahn for Germany's Qualifier against Wales and friendly against Romania.

Eduardo da Silva - Eduardo will most likely be started in both of Croatia's games, facing Estonia and Andorra in Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Philippe Senderos - Since the Swiss are co-hosting Euro 2008 they don't have to go through qualifying rounds, but Philippe Senderos has been called up to play an international friendly against Japan on September 11.

Nicklas Bendtner - Bendtner is set to feature for Denmark against Sweden and Lichtenstein this week, although he will most likely start both games on the bench.

Theo Walcott - Walcott has been selected for England's U21 games against Montenegro and Bulgaria, and the young forward will be hoping to play some part in helping England to qualify for the U21 European Cup in 2009.

Be sure to watch some of these intriguing fixtures and follow your favorite Arsenal players!

Arsene Wenger wants Walcott as a central striker and Eduardo as a winger

In his post-match conference after yesterday's 3-0 drubbing of Sparta Prague Arsene Wenger discussed how he would be using Theo Walcott and new signing Eduardo da Silva in the future. Wenger has stated that he wants to use Eduardo as the goalscoring left-winger that Arsenal have been missing, while he hopes to convert Walcott from a winger to a central striker.

I think it would be great to use Eduardo as a left-winger. He played some of the Sparta Prague game out on the left flank, and while he did not cross the ball like an out and out winger, he often cut in, took on a defender, and then cut a pass back into the center of the penalty area - it was in fact a move just like this which set up Cesc Fabregas' goal. Eduardo would do well as a winger who pops into the box for to score his own goals as well, as he is obviously an excellent striker as well. I feel that this would be the ideal position for him. As Wenger said, "I found him more at ease on the left flank, where he had tricks of a winger, and then through the middle. He's a great striker, you know, and you could see that." A combination of a striker/winger would serve Arsenal very well.

Eduardo was not the only one who showed promise in the Sparta Prague game - Theo Walcott also showed some of the quality that got him called up for England's 2006 World Cup squad. His blistering pace was reminiscent of the recently departed Henry, and although he is young, his runs caused the Sparta defense a whole lot of problems. It was a cut back from Walcott that set up Rosicky's goal in the 8th minute, and Walcott supplied many chances for others as well. Wenger would like to try some of his magic on Theo, by converting him to a central striker as he did to Henry.

"In the future he'll be used more as a central striker. He can make a difference for England because there are not many strikers in this country who have his qualities or pace.

"If a defender is one yard behind him Theo will never get caught. He makes good runs along the line of the defence and he will be able to use that more when he plays through the middle.

"But it's good for him to learn the job on the flanks."

I haven't seen much of Walcott in a central striker position, but with all of his talent, I'm sure that he will be able to function well in any attacking spot on the pitch. I just hope that Arsene can do with him what he did with Henry. At 18 years old, Walcott still has quite a future ahead of him...

Arsenal vs Sparta Prague - 1st Half Review

Arsenal dominated the first half of our Champions League qualifier against Sparta Prague, as they went to the dressing room 1-0 up. Sparta Prague was limited to only one major chance, as Arsenal kept the lion's share of the possession, knowing that they were up 3-0 on aggregate after winning the away leg 2-0, with goals from Cesc Fabregas and Alex Hleb who were both rested today, starting on the bench.

An early short back pass from Justin Hoyte gave Almunia a bit of a scare, but he managed to come out in time to clear the ball - one wonders if Jens Lehmann would have been able to do the same. Arsenal's goal came in the 8th minute Tomasz Rosicky slotted home after a brilliant cutback from Theo Walcott, who has been troubling the Sparta Prague defenders all game with his blistering pace.

In the 19th Robin van Persie should have made it two after a great cross from new signing Eduardo, but couldn't steer the ball towards the goal after stretching to reach it. Instead he steered the ball into the ground from about a yard out, after which it bounced over the crossbar.

Soon after, in the 25th minute, Sparta came close after Libor Dosek supplied Marek Kulic, who's shot was blocked, resulting in a corner, which was promptly wasted. 4 minutes later, the first card of the match was shown to Kulic after a rough tackle on Justin Hoyte. Robin van Persie took a teasing free kick which was barely cleared by the Sparta defense for a corner. The corner however, was not delivered as nicely, and ended up right in the hands of Sparta goalkeeper Tomas Postulka.

In the 33rd minute, Sparta had another rare chance, as Pavel Horvath shot just wide of the post. However, it looked as though Almunia would have had the ball covered had it been on target. Just a minute later though, Jan Rezek was supplied a brilliant ball from the midfield as Gael Clichy was caught out. He wasted Sparta's best chance of the match after he successfully lobbed the ball over the hands of the onrushing Almunia, only to see it go just wide of the upright.

Arsenal was back to its domination towards the end of the half, with Robin van Persie supplying a brilliant pass to Kolo Toure in the penalty box. Toure had no sense of urgency however, and took a few too many touches, allowing the ball to be stolen away by the Sparta Prague defense. This was the last of the big chances for either side, as Arsenal will look to begin the second half, sure of qualifying for the Champions League group stages.

Second Half Review