Fabregas fit to face Villareal

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas is fit for tomorrow's Champions League semi-final first leg against Villarreal at Highbury.

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas is fit for tomorrow's Champions League semi-final first leg against Villarreal at Highbury.

Manager Arsene Wenger said today  that the influential Spaniard had overcome a foot injury, which sidelined him for two games, and will be ready for the visit of Villarreal.

"Fabregas trained and will be available for tomorrow," Wenger said today.

Wenger added that he will leave a little bit of his soul behind at Highbury, a stadium which will host its last European game tomorrow after 22 seasons of European football.

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Highbury has been Arsenal's home since 1913, but at the end of this season they will move to the new 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium in nearby Ashburton Grove.

"It is getting close to the end and every time I walk in there I feel of course that the are not many more matches to come," the Frenchman said. "I feel part of my soul is in the stadium because many of the biggest moments of my sports career have been there.

"It will something special because his stadium has a special soul and to lose it one day will be sad.

"But I think it will help tomorrow because it is a special occasion for us and we want to be proud of that.

Arsenal have conceded just two goals in the competition and none in the last eight games as they set a new record of clean sheets for the competition.

Villarreal are seen as something of a surprise package but Wenger knows they have one player capable of ruining their special night and preventing them taking a lead back to Spain for the return leg.

Juan Roman Riquelme is the playmaker who could wreck Wenger's plans but the Arsenal coach has no plans to give him any special attention.

Wenger explained: "We will not man mark Riquelme.

"He is such a strong personality that you wonder how he left Barcelona because they would have been stronger with him.

"But Villarreal made a good catch and one of the keys of the game will be for us to keep him quiet. But we will not man-mark him."