Arsene Wenger has confirmed that January signing Gabriel is fit again and available for Arsenal's Champions League clash with Monaco, though Tomas Rosicky does not make the squad.
The
Czech playmaker is suffering from illness and will play no part in the
Gunners' bid to overturn a 3-1 first-leg deficit, but Gabriel, who
joined from Villarreal, is included in the squad. Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain remains sidelined.
With the squad otherwise
unchanged from the side that hammered West Ham, and buoyed by the return
of Gabriel, Wenger is confident his side can score the three unanswered
goals they need to progress to the quarter-finals.
"Monaco are
in a very strong position, but we have the experience, the desire and
the belief we can do it - so let's give everything to do it," the French
coach told reporters.
"We have to show a different face, but you
need to embrace the challenge. They have a good side, but we are
confident. We want to put things right [after the first leg].
"The
statistics are against us. But we must do everything to make sure the
statistics lie. But, even with a one per cent chance, we have to play
our game."
Arsenal's trip to the Stade Louis II marks a return to
Monaco for Wenger, who spent seven years in charge of the club from
1987-1994, though the veteran manager insists he will not be overawed by
his homecoming.
"For me it is a bit special. But I have enough
experience to make sense of things, and that is what is most important,"
he continued.
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