Vieira gamble backfired — Wenger

ARSENE WENGER’S gamble on Patrick Vieira’s fitness blew up in his face as the Arsenal captain broke down injured in his side’s goal less draw at home to Valencia in the Champions League last night.

Arsenal failed to make the most of the 72nd-minute sending-off of Miguel Angel Angulo, with substitute Sylvain Wiltord wasting their clearest opening late on. They will still enter the new year at the top of Vieira’s fresh injury problem almost certainly rules him out of at least this weekend’s north London derby against Tottenham. The Arsenal skipper had been rated as having only a 40% chance of starting against the Spanish champions after a training ground injury on the eve of the game.

However, he then lasted just 37 minutes before limping off after sustaining an injury to another part of his groin.