Strikers aim to shine at Highbury

Just five days after launching their bid for supremacy in Group D of the UEFA Champions League with a convincing 4-0 home win over Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Juventus FC come to London on Tuesday for a game that could have a significant bearing on who lays claim to the two qualifying positions.

Home advantage
With Arsenal FC continuing their unhappy away form with defeat against RC Deportivo La Coruña two weeks ago, the onus is on Arsène Wenger's team to make home advantage count - as they have done in virtually all their last 15 European ties at Highbury stadium, posting 12 wins and three draws.

Significant results
Juventus will greet a different Arsenal to the one that faced Deportivo: since losing to two first-half goals in the Riazor stadium, Arsenal's bank of self-belief has received significant deposits from their victory over Manchester United FC and also from the smooth way they accounted for Ipswich Town FC last weekend as they climbed to second in the FA Premiership table.

Contrasting performances
The victory at Portman Road stadium, secured by a Fredrik Ljungberg opener and Thierry Henry's second-half penalty, again highlighted Arsenal's contrasting performances in Europe and domestic football. In the Champions League this season all four away games have been lost (the run stretches back six fixtures) while eight Premership fixtures on their travels have produced five wins and three draws.

'Lacking confidence'
Wenger said: "We are lacking confidence away from home [in the Champions League]. We are starting too defensively and looking to make comebacks when the game is nearly over. If we don't improve we won't progress but we will improve. We had the same defence for ten years and now we have a new one. They are great prospects but have had only a few matches. They are getting better game by game."

Goalkeeping injuries
With David Seaman requiring an operation on an injured shoulder and Richard Wright aggravating a knee injury at the Riazor stadium, the focus has centred on rookie goalkeeper Stuart Taylor, who turned 21 last week. Depending on the speed of Wright's recovery Wenger admits he may be forced to return to the transfer market to sign an experienced replacement.

Cup win
Between the two league fixtures, an Arsenal team showing several changes progressed in the English League Cup at the expense of Grimsby Town FC. Edu scored his first goal on English soil after only three minutes and Sylvain Wiltord added the second late on. Japanese international Junichi Inamoto made his full Arsenal debut and there was also an inaugural first-team appearance for Brazilian full-back Juan.

Emphatic success
After fog forced two postponements, Juventus were relieved to finally complete Matchday Seven with an emphatic success over Leverkusen. Like Arsenal, the Italian side need to improve their away form, registering nine draws and three defeats in the 12 games that have followed their 4-1 victory over FC Dynamo Kyiv in Ukraine in March 1998.

Fascinating duel
A fascinating sub-plot to the fixture lies in the duel between Henry and David Trezeguet who were members of the French team that won the UEFA European Under-18 championship under Gérard Houllier in 1996, who both started their Champions League careers with AS Monaco, who have both played for Juventus FC and who are now regular members of the senior French national team. Trezeguet's two goals against their German visitors last week (his first represented Juventus' 100th in the Champions League) hoisted him to the top of the Champions League goals chart with eight.

First for Nedved
Juventus were in action again barely 50 hours later and recorded a 2-0 home win over Perugia AC. Pavel Nedved scored his first for the club with Trezeguet later notching his 15th of the season. Coach Marcello Lippi maintained the 4-4-2 formation that had accounted for Leverkusen, bringing in Paolo Montero for flu-victim Mark Iuliano. "I am very satisfied with two clear wins within three days," said Lippi. "They give us a lot of confidence for the game in London. I am also happy that my tactical changes have brought us new confidence and a better balance of the team on the field."

Injury news
Club captain Antonio Conte is on the way back from long-term injury and is now playing with the youth team. For Arsenal Tony Adams, Francis Jeffers and Lee Dixon continue their recovery from injury while Wiltord - unavailable for the Ipswich game because of a thigh problem - is expected to be fit. Oleg Luzhny remains suspended.