Arsene Wenger is set to put his faith in Emmanuel Adebayor and Theo Walcott as his youthful Arsenal side strive to make their point in Porto tonight.
The Gunners will automatically qualify for the next round of the Champions League if they achieve a result in Portugal, although even in the event of a defeat, the Londoners will still progress if CSKA Moscow fail to beat Hamburg in Germany.
Shorn of Thierry Henry, who will not be in Portugal to repeat the cheerleading routine that so irritated the Arsenal manager on Saturday, Adebayor is expected to be given a lone frontman role in the controversial 4-5-1 formation that Henry reportedly encouraged Wenger to introduce.
With the captain joined on the sidelines by William Gallas and Tomas Rosicky, not to mention long-term casualty Lauren, it was perhaps not surprising that Wenger used his pre-match press conference to laud the young talent he has been forced to rely upon in a match that carries £15m of consequences in prize money alone.
"I'm confident in the young players," Wenger declared. "I am confident even without Henry because we have Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott to produce goals.
"I think Adebayor is a guy who can fight. He complements Thierry well but can also play on his own up front, which could happen in Portugal."
The loss of Rosicky, though, has clearly vexed Wenger, with the Czech playmaker suffering a third injury in less than four months.
"What is surprising is it is exactly the same injury, same size, but on the other leg, as he had before. It is a muscular tear on the join of hamstring and groin. It's unbelievable," the Frenchman complained.
"Last time he was out 20 days; usually a hamstring is 21 days and it is difficult because of the period we are in, and with Gallas and Henry out."
Yet one player's misfortune is another's gain, and Rosicky's abscene could herald a spell in the first-team for the 17-year-old Walcott. "I know I will use Walcott because we have so many games coming up," Wenger
confirmed. "You rotate a little more up front because you need the sharpness. He will play and that is good for him. Today he is a different player to six months ago.
"He is much stronger at one-on-ones and when going forward. He is much more decisive and is becoming a good finisher."
In all likelihood, however, Walcott will be a substitute against Porto, appearing only if the visitors' Champions League status has been put in immediate jeopardy by opponents Wenger describes as "very good".
"We're relaxed, united, have quality and know how we want to play, so that gives us a chance," Wenger commented. "We're in a difficult group but can come through.
"It's impossible to predict a 0-0 draw. We will go out and try to win the game. If we are level ten minutes before the end, we will not bombard them and put everybody in the box."
