Arsenal V Porto. Should Cesc Fabregas Play?

We have a huge game tomorrow night at home to Porto in the second leg of our Champions league round of 16 tie. After the defensive shambles that cost us a 2-1 defeat in Porto we have to try to claw back their lead to make it through to the quarter-finals. I would be happy enough if the last eight was as far as we went if it meant that we went on to win the league, but I most certainly don't think it would be a blessing in disguise if we went out tomorrow night.

A defeat to a top European team wouldn't hurt our confidence too much but Porto are nowhere near a top European team at the moment. They sit in third place in their domestic league and can only realistically win it if both of the teams ahead of them fall apart as they are 11 points behind Benefica and eight behind Braga with eight games left.

They only managed a 2-2 draw at home to lowly Olhanense at the weekend and all of this is in a league where the standard is not particularly high to start with.

Our biggest worries ahead of that game are the fitness of Cesc and Campbell as they would both be certain starters if they are fully fit. I'm hoping that Campbell was rested on Saturday to ensure his participation tomorrow night, as I'm pretty sure Gallas won't be available. It's different with Cesc after he went off on Saturday after only 34 minutes with a recurrence of the hamstring problem that he had earlier in the season.

It kept him out for three weeks then and the worry is that he will be out for a similar amount of time if he plays against Porto. The choice rests with the boss and I wonder if he thinks it's worth risking our chances of winning the league after we have fought so hard to get back in contention.

I thought Nasri played well in Cesc's position on Saturday after Cesc went off although he didn't offer the goal threat that Cesc does in every single game. He did keep the engine of the team going and he looked to get on the ball and make things happen all the time.

I have a feeling that we won't see Cesc in the starting team but he might well be on the bench just in case we need him later on in the game. Thankfully we will have Song available too as his two game ban is only a domestic one and he should steady us defensively in front of the back four.

The boss also has to decide if he should persist with Bendtner after his catalogue of misses against Burnley on Saturday or if Eduardo might be more clinical in the same position. It's a hard choice to have to make because Eduardo is just back from another injury and has been far from lethal himself.

I think he will persist with Bendtner as he also does not want to dent his confidence although on the outside that would seem impossible with him.

A big talking point after Saturday's game was Walcott's celebration after scoring his goal when he tapped his wrist as if he had a watch on and ran to equipment manager Paul Johnson. It would seem that Walcott missed the team bus to the hotel on Saturday and Johnson was on hand to give him a lift in his car.

Walcott said he got caught in traffic and he doesn't mind if he gets fined for being late as it was just one of those things. He had a good game on Saturday and it's something that we had being waiting for since his return from injury. Hopefully he can kick on from that and finish the season with a flourish as we go on to claim a league title.

The youth team drew 1-1 at home to Ipswich on Saturday morning with Deacon getting the goal and it keeps  them 11 points clear of second placed Chelsea in the league. The ladies won 4-1 at home to Blackburn in the league on Sunday and are now one point behind league leaders Sunderland with five games in hand.

They have dropped less points than either Leeds or Everton who would seem to be their main contenders for yet another league title and they have to be favourites to retain the trophy now. They also managed a 10-0 win against the Spuds ladies team away from home last Thursday in the London County Cup.

Their next game is on Wednesday night and it's a big one for them as they play the first leg of their Champions league quarter final away to Duisburg. I hope they can make it through to the last four and maybe even win the trophy for the second time. 

Apparently Chamakh has being talking about how he is looking forward to playing with us next season and although the club have not confirmed it yet it would seem he will sign for us in the summer on a five-year deal. I think he will make for a good back up to RVP, although I'm not too fond of his habit of doing his talking in the press, and it would be nice if he had a little less to say for himself.

I suppose we could say that about Arshavin too and we did say it about Gallas when he was captain but we no longer need to as he learned his lesson I think. Speaking of Gallas, I am a little worried that the talk of him extending his stay at the club has disappeared, and I really hope he will sign up for another two years as he will be very hard to replace. That's it for today.

Here's a little bit of what Nasri can do.

See You Tomorrow.