Gunners train at London Colney
Arsenal's first-team squad continued their preparations for Tuesday's Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk with a full training session at London Colney this morning.
Cesc Fabregas was in the thick of the action, Jack Wilshere was also prominent and Robert Pires linked up with the squad while he continues to build up his fitness.
Cesc Fábregas could return for Arsenal against Shakhtar Donetsk
Cesc Fábregas has handed Arsenal a boost ahead of tomorrow's Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk after training with the rest of the squad this morning.
The Gunners captain has been out for a month with a hamstring injury and suffered a setback in training last week that kept him out of Saturday's 2-1 win over Birmingham City. However, the manager Arsène Wenger confirmed today that his captain could now return for the game at the Emirates.
"He is fit, he is physically ready and of course he wants to play. But I have not yet decided whether he will start or be on the bench," Wenger said. "But it is good to have him back in training. It will be a good game for us against Shakhtar, a good test and hopefully it's a game we can win."
Arsenal have suffered a dip in form since Fábregas's injury, losing to West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea before stuttering to victory over Birmingham at the weekend. He played a key part in their Champions League opener against Braga, scoring twice in a 6-0 thrashing of the Portuguese team in September.
Victory against Shakhtar Donetsk tomorrow at the Emirates would make it three wins from three in Group H.
"We didn't take any risks with it against Birmingham but I've been feeling really strong and have done some good training as well as a having a decent rest," Fábregas said. "I'll work right up until the Shakhtar game and see what happens."
"As always, it's frustrating to miss matches but it's no big worry. This is still the beginning of the season and after the World Cup it is normal for things to take a bit of time. It's happening to a lot of players and we just want to make sure that everything is right."
Source
Video of Gunners training and Arsene press conference:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/video/2010/oct/18/champions-league-arsenal-shakhtar-donetsk-video
Think Birmingham will shup up about Jack now?
