Arsenal duo to make Turin trip
Monday, April 3, 2006
Article summary
Arsenal FC duo Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Eboué have "recovered sufficiently" from injury to travel to Turin, but there was no good news for SL Benfica.
Article body
Arsenal FC have confirmed that midfielder Cesc Fabregas and full-back Emmanuel Eboué "will be travelling" to Turin for Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg, but did not say whether the duo would be fit to face Juventus.
'Recovered sufficiently'
Both players were injured during Saturday's 5-0 English Premiership defeat of Aston Villa FC, with Eboué picking up a groin injury and Fabregas taking a blow to his foot. Having initially been rated by manager Arsène Wenger at 60-40 to play in Italy, the influential pair "have recovered sufficiently to take their place in the travelling party". Arsenal won the first leg 2-0 at Highbury.
Nuno Gomes out
Meanwhile, SL Benfica have confirmed that striker Nuno Gomes has been ruled out of their second leg at FC Barcelona, also scheduled for Wednesday, after straining his knee during Saturday's 2-1 victory at CF Os Belenenses. Also absent will be the Barcelona midfielder Thiago Motta as he faces two weeks out with a thigh sprain sustained in the 1-1 draw against Real Madrid CF. The first leg was scoreless in Lisbon.
