Source: Telegraph
Standard Liège v Arsenal: Tomas Rosicky set for first start in 20 months amid injury crisis
The Czech Republic midfielder scored as a substitute in the 4-2 defeat against Manchester City on Saturday and Arsene Wenger is seriously considering bringing the 28-year-old straight back into his injury-hit team tonight.
"Everyone in the squad is very happy to have Tomas back," said Wenger. "Not only because we love him but because he is a fantastic football player. He has a good chance [to start]. It is a good opportunity for him."
With Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott and Andrei Arshavin injured, Wenger is also relieved to now have Eduardo available after he won his appeal to Uefa against a two-match Champions League ban.
"It is important to have Eduardo because we have plenty of players who are out," said Wenger. "Eduardo on top of that would be too many strikers out.
"I'm very happy to have him back. It was a good surprise I must say."
Arsenal must also start tonight with Vito Mannone, their third choice goalkeeper, after Manuel Almunia went down with a chest infection. Lukasz Fabianski is still recovering from knee surgery, meaning 19-year-old Wojciech Szczesny will be on the bench.
Mannone, 21, has never previously started a Champions League match and Wenger is expecting an intense atmosphere tonight inside the Stade Maurice Dufrasne.
"It is a big challenge for a young boy to come into a Champions League game with that pressure, especially away from home," he said. "It will be quite a heated atmosphere when you look at the stadium. I think we were quite stable [away last year] – we won when we needed to win but, if you look at other clubs, it's quite similar. It's difficult to win away from home."
Wenger, meanwhile, has also become the first manager to criticise new Premier League rules which mean that, from next season, clubs must have at least eight 'home-grown' players in their squads of 25.
"I feel that when you want to have the best players, be the best league in the world, you have to be open," said Wenger. "You have to accept competition. We live for competition and competition does not include artificial rules and that is why I am against it."
