CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Arsenal's situation in the Stadio delle Alpi tonight will bear comparison with that in which Michael Caine found himself shortly before the credits rolled at the end of The Italian Job. A place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League is clearly within their grasp but in reaching for it Arsene Wenger's side could still plummet out of the tournament.
To this day nobody knows if Caine came any closer to grabbing the loot and keeping his gang's bus out of the Alpine ravine beyond shouting: "'Old on, I got an idea!" At least Wenger can be expected to adopt a more balanced approach although things may also end up out of his hands.
Arsenal could win and go out or lose and go through. The complication arises from the Champions League rule that decrees when teams finish level on points, the side with the better record in the head-to-head encounters gets the nod.
Deportivo are in the last eight following their 2-0 victory at Highbury a week ago but need a point to win the group. If they lose tonight they will be runners-up behind Bayer Leverkusen, who would then be level on 10 points but on top, having beaten La Coruna twice.
In these circumstances even if Arsenal were to beat Juventus by a round dozen they would still only have 10 points and, having lost twice to Deportivo, would finish third.
A draw would be enough provided Leverkusen do no better, for then Arsenal and the Germans would each have eight points and Arsenal have already taken four points off Bayer.
"You will have all the different possibilities in your head . . . that we could go through by playing badly or go out by playing very well," Wenger said yesterday. "But the only attitude we can have is to win the game, for it's still our best chance.
"The approach of Juventus, who are out, and Deportivo, who are through, will be crucial.
Like Arsenal in the Premiership both are involved in extraordinarily tight contests at the top of their domestic leagues, and should Deportivo follow Juve's example and rest players it might give Leverkusen an edge.
"In my opinion there is only a very small chance that Deportivo will not try," said Wenger. "They will want to be top of the group and be drawn against second-placed teams in the quarter-finals."
No doubt Marcello Lippi would like to beat Arsenal. Nevertheless the Juventus coach is expected to put out a team missing (presumed injured) such leading names as David Trezeguet, Alessandro del Piero, Marcelo Salas, Lilian Thuram, Pavel Nedved and Paolo Montero.
Given that all bar Salas were in the team that lost 3-1 at Highbury in December, Wenger might have preferred their presence tonight to perhaps more enthusiastic alternatives.
Arsenal will again have to make do in defence, with Igor Stepanovs kept out by the groin injury he suffered at Aston Villa on Sunday and Tony Adams is still not ready to return to the big time. This is likely to mean Oleg Luzhny staying alongside Sol Campbell in the middle of the back four.
"I feel we'll go through," said Wenger, but he said that before the Deportivo game last week.
JUVENTUS (probable, 4-4-2): Carini; Zenoni, Birindelli, Iuliano, Paramatti; Zambrotta, Conte, Davids, Maresca; Amoruso, Zalayeta.
ARSENAL (probable, 4-4-2): Seaman; Dixon, Luzhny, Campbell, Lauren; Ljungberg, Vieira, Edu, Pires; Wiltord or Kanu, Henry.
Referee: K E Nilsson (Sweden)
