Denilson in injury hit Squad for Boro

League at WHL
By Boris Mellor
February 2 2007

Adebayor has passed a fitness test, but Baptista and Eboue are still out. Wenger is quoted on Arsenal.com as saying "We have lost Diaby, but it will be for a short time — only a week -

I was scared it could be longer. Djourou is back in the squad. Gallas, Ljungberg and Hleb are out but they are all very close." However Wenger is quoted elsewhere suggesting that Hleb could be out for longer than four weeks.

It is ironic that Aliadiere could have been facing Arsenal at the Riverside, but the injury to van Persie decided Arsene against letting him go. Wenger believes it was injuries that undermined Ali’s career, not a loss of form. The matches against Tottenham and Liverpool in the Fizzy Cup went a long way to prove that. Ali’s goal against the Totts was real striker’s goal; it was also fox in the box stuff as he was lurking to pick up crumbs, and what a feast he made of them.

Woodgate had an awesome game at Ashburton Grove this September; Arsenal only managed to score from the penalty box in a bore score 1-1 draw. Last season Boro beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Riverside. Arsenal cut them open again and again, but powder puff finishing let Boro score first against the run of play. Arsenal were 2-0 down before Reyes scored a late consolation goal, in fact it was no consolation at all.

So Arsenal could face a formidable defence, and a team that is finding the net regularly, they put five past the Walrus’s ensemble (the man who taught the Premiership how to beat Arsenal, but forgot to teach Bolton how to stop being thrashed by Boro).

Threat of Viduka

The Arsenal defence will need to watch out for Yakubu, and Viduka; Yakubu is their stop scorer with 10 goals in the Premiership, and the Australian likes to get close to defenders in the box, and is amazingly agile and skilful for such a large man. He also pushes defenders about a bit.

So this match will be a real test for this much improved Arsenal squad. Boro say they will come at Arsenal, which is more than they did in the first game. But if the Gunners defence stands firm then it could be a chance to score a few.

Arsenal from: Lehmann, Hoyte, Toure, Senderos, Clichy, Rosicky, Fabregas, Gilberto, Walcott, Aliadiere, Henry, Almunia, Adebayor, Denilson, Flamini, and Connolly.

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