Arsenal vs. Barcelona: Cesc says they can eliminate Messi from the Champions League

Arsenal's destiny in 2010 Champions League includes facing the powerful Barcelona, current kings of Europe. But Cesc Fabregas is confident in their chances of winning this duel.

"Many people think we have no chances of winning it. Many people thought we could not reach the fourth spot of the Premier League. But I say that if I don't believe I can achieve something, I wouldn't play football" Fabregas said.

He also mention that they are not scared by the tremendous level of Lionel Messi, who have scored three hat-tricks in one month.

Cesc to return against West Ham

The talented Francesc Fabregas has been out since March 6, but good news arrived at the Emirates Stadium: he will be back for the clash against West Ham United on Saturday.

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger told the press that "Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky have a final test tomorrow morning. They should be available for our game against West Ham."

The Spanish midfielder will undergo a final fitness test tomorrow morning, however, William Gallas - another injured star - is unlikely to join him on Saturday's match.

Rumours in the last days assured that Juventus is after Cesc, but he claims to be focused only in his recovery and in Arsenal's campaign this season of the Premier League.

Barcelona: "I want Cesc"

Official voices within the Camp Nou have admitted that Barcelona will make a move to sign up Cesc Fabregas. With Guardiola's team set to be without midfielders Yaya Toure and Seydou Keita when the African Cup of Nations begin in January, the institution is ready to take action and enhance their squad.

Sporting director Txiki Begiristain says that Cesc "is a player who fits the Barca profile. He was born suckling on football here and one day he will end up playing at the Camp Nou. I am sure."

Even when Arsenal FC board have not made any official statement about this transfer, it's very likely that next season we will see the first chapter of a new soap opera called "I want Cesc".

PD: Cesc doesn't care about this kind of statementes and just focuses on his game. That's why he scored in Spain's victory over Armenia.

Cesc out for 4 months due to knee ligament rupture

It's sad to say that Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger confirmed on Tuesday that Gunners captain Francesc Fabregas will be out of action for four months after suffering a partial rupture of his medial knee ligament in Sunday's draw against Liverpool.

The talented Fabregas suffered the injury in a challenge with Liverpool's Xabi Alonso and limped off at half time at the Emirates Stadium.

The popular Wenger initially hoped Fabregas would only be out for three weeks but scans confirmed the Spain midfielder won't play again before April.

"The news is not good," Wenger admitted. "It will take three to four months, we count four. He will be working hard to come back earlier but I count four months.

"The challenge by Alonso was fair and honest, I have no problem with it. It is exactly what I have said many times, it is the kind of thing you accept in the game that can happen. I don't feel there was any intention to hurt, it was purely accidental."

We must notice that the loss of his recently installed skipper and creative talisman is a massive blow to Wenger as he tries to end Arsenal's four-year wait for a trophy.

He was already short of experienced midfielders after losing Mathieu Flamini, Gilberto Silva and Alexander Hleb in pre-season, while Tomas Rosicky has been injured for the whole of the current campaign.

"We will miss him, of course, but how much is difficult to say," Wenger said. "We have to find a way and we want to find a way to compensate the fact that he is not on the pitch to give everyone a bit more.

"I'm sure we can deal with it. When he comes back he can help us get over the line in the final months. I believe we are able to do it."

In fact, Wenger team will face a crucial match at Aston Villa on Friday, and conceded Fabregas's injury may force him to move into the transfer market in January.

"It is more likely but we also have internal solutions and we are not desperate," he said. "At the moment no one is going out and no one is coming in. That gives you a perfect answer.

"Now we have a big game in front of us and before January anyway I believe it is more important to focus on our games."

A bid for Zenit St Peterburg's Russian midfielder Andrei Arshavin is one possibility for Wenger, who is yet to decide who will replace Fabregas as captain.

The experienced Spanish keeper Manuel Almunia wore the armband when Fabregas came off against Liverpool and would be the leading candidate.

"I think that it is a great opportunity to show we can deal with it and have strength," said Wenger, who played down talk of a Manchester City bid for Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure.

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"Spain won the Euro with English help"

According to some newspapers, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Wednesday congratulated Spain for its 1-0 Euro 2008 win against Germany, but was quick to point out that they only won with "English" help.

"We totally congratulate Spain on the result," he told a news conference in London, after talks with his Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos and Gibraltar's Chief Minister Peter Caruana.

"We, of course, point out that the critical goal came from Arsenal passing to Liverpool, so we feel a certain degree of co-ownership" he claims.

Miliband, a keen fan of English Premier League side Arsenal and in the past a sometime midfielder for the governing Labour Party's team, was mistaken though about the through pass to goalscorer Fernando Torres, of Liverpool.

Indeed, instead of Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas, the final ball was played by Barcelona's Xavi Hernandez, who was named the best player of the tournament.

As for England, packed with stars from the English Premier League, they failed to qualify for the tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

Video: The best of Francesc Fabregas

Video compilation with the best goals and assistances of Cesc with Arsenal. Pure talent, great football:

Cesc Fabregas Bio

This young talented footballer from Spain has amazed the whole world with his skills for the game. But we must start from the begining: Francesc Cesc Fabregas Soler saw the light on May 4, 1987 in Arenys de Mar, a sunny location in Catalonia, Spain.

Since he was a little kid the passion for football would motivate him. He decided to join FB Barcelona to start a career, by joining the youth divissions. He played mostly as a defensive midfielder, but he was also a prolific scorer, sometimes scoring more than 30 goals in a season. Despite that, Cesc never reached the first team.

Fabregas called up the attention of one of Arsene Wenger's seekers in Spain. Arsenal FC learned about their huge potential and signed him at the age of 16. Cesce made his team debut in a League Cup tie at home to Rotherham United, and in doing so became Arsenal's youngest ever first-team player. Although this fact doesn't count for any record, he converted a penalty in a penalty shootout, which the Gunners won 9-8. He then became the youngest goal scorer in Arsenal's history in a later round of the League Cup, scoring from very close range in a 5-1 triumph against Wolves.

In fact, it wasn't until the start of the 2004-05 season that 'Cesc' started making first squad appearances. First it was against Manchester United in the Community Shield and then four successive Premier League starts against Everton, Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers and Norwich City. Fabregas impressed many observers in his first four appearances, claiming a goal against Blackburn in a 3-0 win, and went on to score Arsenal's third goal in a 5-1 Champions League victory against Rosenborg of Norway, making him the second youngest goalscorer in the history of that tournament.

It's important to mention that On March 1, 2006, Fabregas played his first game with the Spanish senior national squad (becoming the youngest player capped for Spain in 80 years), receiving rave reviews for his debut. He even contributed an assist for David Villa's goal, Spain's first in a 3-2 win over the Ivory Coast.

On May 15, 2006, the young Cesc was selected for the Spanish 2006 World Cup team. During the tournament, he came on as a second-half substitute in Spain's first two group matches, contributing an assist in their 3–1 victory against Tunisia. He then started alongside Spain's reserve players (including then-Arsenal teammate José Antonio Reyes) in Spain's third group match against Saudi Arabia. He earned a starting role in Spain's first knockout-stage encounter against France, in place of Marcos Senna, but Spain lost 3–1. Fàbregas also became the youngest player in Spanish football history to participate in a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for Luis García after 77 minutes in the 4–0 victory against Ukraine on 13 June 2006; he was then 19 years and 41 days old.

Cesc Fabregas' performance has improved over the seasons, and he has adopted a more aggressive style of play. His importance to the team as the main creative force is also reflected in his contributing 16 assists in all competitions in the 2006–07 season. By his own admission, scoring was a weaker part of his style game in his first few seasons at Arsenal; wasteful finishing also being symptomatic of the larger problem surrounding Arsenal in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. This changed initially in the 2007–08 season when he scored 11 goals in his first 16 games, although Arsenal manager Wenger claimed that the Spaniard's previous inability to score was down to a mental state, and even compared the Spaniard to french star Michel Platini, a French midfielder renowned for scoring. Given his young age, concerns have also been raised over the large number of games Fàbregas has played for club and country in the last few seasons, as burnout may become an issue if he is not adequately rested, but the midfielder has yet to sustain any major injuries in his five-year career with Arsenal. Whats more: he is now one of the best midfielders in the World.