Confidence high at Highbury

That old phrase about an irresistible force meeting an immovable object springs to mind when one contemplates the mouth-watering UEFA Champions League Group D match between Arsenal FC and RC Deportivo La Coruña. Arsenal's form at the moment is certainly irresistible while Deportivo showed themselves to both mobile and immovable in their role as grand party-poopers at Real Madrid CF's centenary "celebrations" last week.

Milestone victory
Javier Irureta, the Deportivo coach, was not overstating matters when he said that the odds against Deportivo winning the Copa del Rey final against Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu were stacked as high as those against Uruguay when they won the 1950 FIFA World Cup final against Brazil at the Maracana. The 2-1 win for Deportivo was a milestone in the history of this less fashionable Spanish club.

Both teams full of confidence
Confidence in both the Arsenal and Deportivo camps must be sky high. Arsenal themselves reached a new plateau in their development as a European force with their stunning 4-1 victory against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in their last Champions League appearance, at Highbury a fortnight ago. Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal coach, described it as "a great team performance", but it was also one which was marked by some incredible moments of individual skill, perhaps most noticeably from Dennis Bergkamp, who scored with a sublime chip over the German team's goalkeeper for the Gunners' fourth goal.

Travel sickness
Arsenal and Deportivo share similar characteristics in that both are formidable sides at home but rather less so on their European travels. Oddly, neither seem to have a problem away from home in their domestic football, as Deportivo amply illustrated last week and as Arsenal have demonstrated all season long; they are the only team in the FA Premiership unbeaten on their travels this season and showed their fortitude once again at the weekend when, with a weakened team, they held Newcastle United FC to a 1-1 draw in their FA Cup quarter-final at St James' Park.

Victory enough for progression
For that game Wenger deliberately held back Robert Pires, David Seaman and Bergkamp, while Thierry Henry was unavailable because of the first of a three-match domestic suspension. The manager did so to keep the players fresh for this crucial game with Deportivo, who, it is worth pointing out, have kept three clean sheets in their four second-phase games.

Deportivo aim to win
"We travel to London with the sole aim of winning the match and qualifying for the quarter-finals," said Irureta. "They [Arsenal] are a great team, they play to win every match and competition. With players such as Henry, Vieira, Pires and Bergkamp they are one of the top teams in Europe. They are not a typical English team. This might be the case for the defence, but certainly not for midfield or attack where they play a very European style."

Pires praised by Wenger
One of those 'European-style' players is Pires, who is finally realising a potential which some thought might never be fully tapped. Along with Manchester United FC's Ruud van Nistelrooij, he is most people's favourite to win the 2001/02 Player of the Year award in England. "He has made a mental step forward," said Wenger. "He gets into the box more, has a more aggressive attitude and is more prepared for the physical side."

Painful memories for visitors
While players like Pires and Henry will certainly pose Deportivo a huge threat, there seems little likelihood of any repetition of their last visit to Highbury two seasons ago, when they uncharacteristically capitulated to the tune of a 5-1 defeat in the UEFA Cup. Arsenal were well beaten by them at the Riazor at the start of this phase of the Champions League and will be mindful of the opposition's own danger men, men like Diego Tristán and Sergio.