Vieira doubful for Gunners' decisive clash with Valencia
Defender Martin Keown is already ruled out and Vieira’s participation is in doubt with Wenger, who said on Friday that his fellow Frenchman would certainly face Valencia, now putting the midfield star’s chances at only “50-50” after he missed the 2-0 defeat at Blackburn on Saturday with a swollen knee.
Seaman, 39, and centre-back Campbell both also missed the game at Ewood Park, which produced Arsenal’s first defeat in any competition since Manchester United beat them 2-0 at Old Trafford on December 7.
Seaman reported a hamstring injury after last Tuesday’s 1-1 home draw in the Champions League against Roma, which Campbell missed with an Achilles problem.
Wenger, who admits Campbell’s injury is a “surprise and a mystery” after almost deciding to gamble on playing him against Roma, now rates the big defender and 39-year-old goalkeeper Seaman just 20% likely to face the Spanish champions.
Seaman has had a scan to discover whether he has torn fibres in his hamstring or whether the discomfort he is feeling merely emanates from an old hip injury which can be treated with pain-killers.
But Arsenal have not released the results of the scan and Stuart Taylor looks set to deputise again with untried teenager Craig Holloway on the substitutes bench as new French signing Guillaume Warmuz is ineligible for Europe.
Worse news still is that 36-year-old Keown’s estimated absence from action has been confirmed as three weeks after he pulled a hamstring after just 18 minutes against Blackburn.
It means that £2.5m Frenchman Pascal Cygan, who had a nightmare performance against Rovers, and Latvia’s Igors Stepanovs are likely to form the centre-back partnership against Valencia, who need a win to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Arsenal can qualify by taking just a draw and could even sneak through with a defeat provided Roma beat Ajax in the other Group B match and trigger a situation where three teams finish level on seven points and qualification is judged on results between them.
Valencia have injury problems of their own with key midfielder Rubens Baraja suspended and winger Kily Gonzalez highly doubtful through a knee injury sustained in yesterday’s 1-0 Spanish League defeat at Athletic Bilbao.
Wenger is still hopeful that Vieira, who had a light training session and further ice-pack treatment today, will still come through but he admits: “We face Valencia, Everton and Chelsea in the next week or so and the fact that so many defenders have injuries is worrying.
"It is not a case of having lost confidence but it was not the true Arsenal at Blackburn because we lost so many fights for the ball and we also lost Keown. But this team has bounced back many times and I am sure we will do it again.
“We will go for every trophy but at the moment my full focus is on the Champions League.”
Valencia striker John Carew has called on the Mestalla crowd to act as an extra man.
The towering Norwegian believes the 55,000 sell-out crowd at one of Spain’s more hostile venues could be a crucial factor. Carew said: “The team needs the fans’ support. We need all the positive strength of a full Mestalla stadium.”
Valencia will also be looking to bounce back from Sunday’s dismal 1-0 league defeat at Athletic Bilbao. That result left the defending Primera Liga champions eight points behind leaders Real Madrid.
“We lost one match. We are going through a bad time, but we must think positively,” added Carew.
“We are going with a lot of strength into Wednesday’s game and it is a good opportunity to change everything.”
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