Fabregas catches Spanish eyes

Having already helped to end the UEFA Champions League ambitions of Real Madrid CF, Arsenal FC's Cesc Fabregas has Villarreal CF in his sights and knows that an impressive semi-final performance will do no harm to his reputation in his homeland.

Firm fixture
The 18-year-old Spanish international joined the north London side from FC Barcelona in the summer of 2003 with great things expected of his precocious talent. After taking a while to adapt to the English Premiership, he has established himself as a fixture in the heart of Arsenal's midfield since the departure of Patrick Vieira to Juventus last summer.

World Cup ambition
And with a place in Spain's FIFA World Cup squad for Germany still in the balance, Fabregas will be keen to reproduce the form he showed in helping to dispose of Madrid and Juventus in the last two rounds when Villarreal come to Highbury on Wednesday. His form has already caught the eye of Spain coach Luis Aragonés, who handed him an international debut in March. Another imposing display against Spanish opponents could cement his place in the final 23 for Germany.

'More experience'
For now, Fabregas remains focused on his club, and believes Arsenal's record of three UEFA Champions League quarter-finals could be the difference between the two sides. "We have more experience than Villarreal who are only in their first year in this competition and we hope that this will help give us an advantage," he told uefa.com. "At this stage of the competition it is difficult to say who the favourites are, but there is no doubt that if we play against Villarreal with the same mentality that we've been showing in the Champions League and with the same quality too, we can go through to the final."

'Best weapons'
Villarreal's Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini has assembled a combative team, packed with talent from South America, and Fabregas is under no illusions as to the task facing his team. "Villarreal are a team that plays similar football to us," Fabregas added. "They like to keep the ball on the floor and they play a straight, simple game," he said. "One of their best weapons is definitely their counterattack so we have to be careful with that. A team that has so many South Americans is always going to be dangerous, and also very hard physically too.

Sorín test
"I will be up against Juan Pablo Sorín who is a player of great quality. He is captain of Argentina, which says it all. He fights a lot and he is a winner. Not many players can equal him. All I can do is try my best to win the battle. I think Villarreal's style will be closer to Real Madrid's than to Juventus. Even though we want a first-leg win, we can't go crazy. We have 180 minutes to win the tie. The key will be us not conceding a goal at Highbury. I have a lot of confidence in our defence because they are doing very well right now."

Highbury farewell
Fabregas is well aware of the historic significance of Wednesday's game, the last European match Arsenal will play at their famous Highbury stadium before a move to nearby Ashburton Grove in the summer. He said: "The last European match at Highbury is another incentive for us to win. We love our stadium and feel sad it will disappear soon. A place like this with all its history deserves a last victory in the Champions League."