Arsenal could have to face arch-rivals Tottenham tomorrow
without talisman captain Thierry Henry.
The brilliant French striker is struggling to shrug off a neck
problem, which saw him miss last weekend's trip to Bolton.
Henry, 29, was back in the starting XI for Wednesday night's match
against Fulham, but manager Arsene Wenger revealed he would undergo
further tests ahead of the north London derby.
'Thierry has to be assessed and we will make a decision on him
today,' said the Arsenal manager. 'It is a problem with his sciatic
nerve.'
The likes of Julio Baptista, Freddie Ljungberg, Gael Clichy and
Emmanuel Eboue were all absent from the squad at Fulham, while Cesc
Fabregas came off the bench at half-time.
Wenger's calculated gamble failed to pay off against the Cottagers,
who rose to the challenge and raced into a two-goal lead inside 19
minutes and a second consecutive away defeat in the Barclays
Premiership saw the Gunners' title hopes all but disappear.
Wenger had suggested this next run of games - which also includes a
crunch Champions League trip to Porto next week before the clash
against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on December 10 - would prove to
be the 'moment of truth' for his side's campaign.
While stopping short of conceding the Premiership crown, privately
the French coach will know it would take something of a minor
miracle for Arsenal to overhaul the 16-point deficit on leaders
Manchester United, even with a match in hand.
Wenger, however, maintained his full focus was now on Spurs - and
not ahead to next week's crucial European tie.
He said: 'The Tottenham game is the important game of the week
now.
'It is in front of us.
'We must give everything to win this game then see what we do
afterwards for the Porto match.'
Central defender Philippe Senderos must serve an instant one-match
suspension following his dismissal for a second yellow card with
just over 30 minutes left at Craven Cottage.
Although William Gallas is making good progress with his thigh
injury, tomorrow's game may come too soon for his return, so Johan
Djourou can expect to start.
Spurs were one of the top-flight clubs not to be involved in
midweek action - a quirk of the fixture list which certainly did
not impress the Arsenal manager.
Wenger, though, insists his men will be more than ready for the
challenge which awaits them in the first north London derby to be
played at the new 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium.
'We have a difficult game coming up against Tottenham, and I do not
agree at all with the way the fixtures have been organised - it is
a farce,' bemoaned the Frenchman.
'We play now against opponents who did not play this week - but we
will beat them.'
