Gunners step up top-four bid
17 Mar 2006 - 08:51:34
Arsenal hope to step up their bid to challenge Tottenham for the fourth and final Champions League spot when they welcome Charlton Athletic to Highbury.
The Gunners have closed to within two points of their north London rivals, while they still harbour hopes of gaining Champions League football next term by winning the trophy this season.
Last time out Arsenal earned a well-deserved 2-1 home win over Liverpool, with Thierry Henry again the star with both goals.
However, Freddie Ljungberg limped out of that game with a calf problem and is expected to be out for a fortnight.
Better news came in midweek as Sol Campbell and Robin van Persie both featured in a friendly against Brighton & Hove Albion and came through unscathed after more than a month on the sidelines.
Wenger has warned his side to stay focused. He said: "It's not only about us and Spurs though. Bolton and Blackburn are in there as well.
"Getting that fourth spot is in our own hands. We must show consistency. There are nine games to play and we can't afford to waste any points."
The Addicks arrive buoyed by a 2-1 win at home to Middlesbrough, but with the club surrounded by a media frenzy about manager Alan Curbishley being a leading candidate to take on the England job.
However, Curbishley insisted he held only informal talks with FA officials and was not prepared for the storm of publicity that followed, saying: "I have no idea what will happen next or even where I now stand.
"I was not prepared for events to escalate the way they did. Here was an insight into another way of living."
Curbishley will be without the services of midfielder Alexei Smertin, who cut short a season-long loan from Chelsea to join Dinamo Moscow.
However, he will be happy to have seen Darren Bent end a run of three games without a goal with both strikes in the win over Boro.
The Gunners won 1-0 at The Valley on Boxing Day, with Jose Antonio Reyes scoring the only goal of the game.