Arsenal FC

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Henry backs young guns

22 Feb 2007 - 10:19:11

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Arsenal captain Thierry Henry has backed the club's youngsters to secure Carling Cup glory even if it means he misses out on a place in the squad to take on Chelsea on Sunday.

Arsene Wenger is expected to reward the youthful line-up that fired the Gunners into the final which means Henry and a host of regular first team players will have to make way for the Cardiff showpiece.

Wenger will recall Theo Walcott to the starting line-up after the England striker missed the midweek Champions League defeat by PSV Eindhoven.

Meanwhile, Justin Hoyte, Emmanuel Eboue, Johan Djourou, Jeremie Aliadiere and Denilson are also expected to return, while Jens Lehmann is suspended after accumulating five yellow cards this season.

"It won't be hard for me to sit there and watch it," claimed Henry. "Since I've been at Arsenal I think I've only played twice in the Carling Cup.

"Sunday would be hard if the team wasn't coping well. But when you win at Everton, West Brom, Liverpool and then knock out Tottenham in the semi-final, whoever has played in all those rounds deserves to play in the final.

"We'll find out on Sunday if we can beat Chelsea. The team we put out in the league at Stamford Bridge because of injuries was also a young team and we somehow managed to get a draw.

"I'll be there and cheering. It's a great competition, there are always good teams in the final and that tells you how seriously clubs take it."