Weakened Arsenal look for strong display

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The names roll off the tongue: David Trézéguet, Dennis Bergkamp, Alessandro del Piero, Tony Adams, Marcelo Salas, Ashley Cole, Lilian Thuram, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Pavel Nedved.

Unfortunately, those are the famous players who will not be adorning the Stadio delle Alpi tonight. And they are not the only ones who will be missing. This vast aircraft hangar of a stadium will be occupied by a mere smattering of fans. Paul Gascoigne, who famously shed tears here, should attract twice as many to Turf Moor to watch Burnley v Bradford this evening. Those that do turn up, and Arsenal fans may make up half the attendance, will watch two weakened sides contesting a match which could be rendered irrelevant by events far away on Spain's Atlantic coast.

When the leading clubs of western Europe, led by those of Italy, forced Uefa, the governing body of European football, to adopt the concept of the Champions' League, the prototype did not include matches like this. However, Italian football, which initially dominated the competition, is approaching a crisis and Juventus have not escaped. Their fans have never accepted the club's move from the Stadio Communale and, with the team failing to recapture past glories, they are staying away from the soulless delle Alpi. Their two Champions' League Group D matches so far have attracted only 15,000 fans in total and they were played before Juventus were knocked out.

The lack of atmosphere is one of three problems Arsenal have to overcome. They also go into the tie knowing that even victory will not guarantee a quarter-final place as that depends on Bayer Leverkusen's result in Spain. Put simply, if Leverkusen win they are through with Deportivo; if they do not, Arsenal must at least match their result.

Finally, Arsenal are without six players including three central defenders: Adams, Martin Keown and Igor Stepanovs. Though the latter two could be available for Saturday's FA Cup replay against Newcastle, their manager, Arsène Wenger, will tonight have to pair Sol Campbell with Oleg Luzhny. He will be Campbell's fifth partner of the season. Gilles Grimandi is required in midfield to replace Ray Parlour. Cole, though in the squad, is not fit to start so Lauren will continue at left-back.

Not that Juventus are any closer to a full complement. As well as Trézéguet, Salas, Del Piero, Thuram and Nedved they are also expected to be without Gianluigi Buffon, Igor Tudor and Paolo Montero. Some of these absences are enforced, but the majority are through choice. Marcelo Lippi's priority is the scudetto.

"Mental concentration and strength will be very important," said Wenger. "The players will have all those permutations in their head. They know they can play well and go out, or play badly but go through. We have requested a level of quality."

Arsenal will keep abreast of events in Galicia where Wenger believes La Coruña will be committed although, like Juventus, they will "rest" senior players.

Wenger added: "I think we will go through. I have watched the La Coruña [defeat] again. We played well, but La Coruña took their chances. The win at Villa on Sunday showed we can still play well despite that disappointment."

For Thierry Henry the match represents a return to the club which branded him a failure when they shipped him out – to Arsenal – after just six months. Unlike Trézéguet, Henry's friend and international team-mate who has succeeded here, Henry was not, said Wenger, given the same opportunities.

"Room was made for Trézéguet but Henry was played as a wing-back. He is not a wing-back. And they didn't give Thierry time. Trézéguet had problems in his first six months, by then Henry was gone.

"Thierry has nothing to prove. He did that in the first leg and has done it internationally."

Henry's goal tonight is to emulate the ill-fated Paul Vaessen whose last minute winner, in the Cup-Winners' Cup semi-final 22 years ago, is part of Highbury folklore.

Juventus (probable): Carini; Zenoni, Birindelli, Iuliano, Paramatti; Zambrotta, Conte, Davids, Maresca; Zalayeta, Amoruso.

Arsenal (probable): Seaman; Dixon, Luzhny, Campbell, Lauren; Ljungberg, Vieira, Grimandi, Pires, Kanu, Henry.