Wenger to rest quartet

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will rest Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, Jens Lehmann and Cesc Fabregas for tomorrow’s FA Cup third round tie at home to Cardiff.

However, he insists he will still be fielding a “strong team” against the Championship side, with Robin van Persie and Freddie Ljungberg set to return from a knee injury and illness respectively.

Wenger explained: “You forget players like Fabregas is only 18 and Thierry has played five games on the trot and four in eight days, but sometimes you need a breather. It is better to play somebody who is fresh than somebody who is tired.”

Provisional squad: Almunia, Poom, Lauren, Eboue, Cygan, Toure, Senderos, Gilberto, Flamini, Song, Reyes, Pires, Ljungberg, Hleb, Van Persie, Bergkamp, Owusu-Abeyie.