Reds vs Gunners - 3 times in a week
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away on wednesday 2 april 2008 for champions league quarter finals 1st leg; away again on saturday 5 april 2008 for league match; and finally home on tuesday 8 april 2008 for champions league 2nd leg.
siong sia! -
Liverpool triple-header will be 'good fun' - Clichy
Arsenal full-back Gael Clichy claims it will be 'quite good fun' to take on Liverpool three times in the space of a week next month as the pair go head to head in the Premier League and Europe.
The duo were already scheduled to meet at Emirates Stadium on Saturday April 5, in what could prove to be a key clash in the race for the title.
Now by a quirk of the fixture list they will get the chance to know each other even better over two legs of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Arsenal host the first encounter in a fortnight's time, with the return at Anfield on Tuesday April 8.
It is, though, not the first time the sides will have clashed more than twice in a campaign.
During January 2007, the Gunners recorded an FA Cup and Carling Cup double in Liverpool as they won both ties in the space of just four days, running out aggregate winners by 9-4
Earlier in the current campaign Arsene Wenger's men earned a 1-1 draw at Anfield with a late goal from Cesc Fabregas.
Clichy, 22, feels the team will take lining up against such familiar opposition in their stride.
'I don't think that affects the players at all,' the French defender insisted.
'We did it last season when we played the FA Cup and Carling Cup together. In fact it's quite good fun because it doesn't happen much.
'We will look forward to it and hopefully we will come out as the winner.'
Despite taking on well-known opponents, Clichy is not expecting anything other than a severe test of Arsenal's credentials.
'An Italian team or Spanish team would have been fantastic, but Liverpool is not bad, they are a great side and it will be a great challenge,' he told Arsenal TV.
'At this stage of the competition it doesn't matter who you play against because all the teams have great quality.
'We know Liverpool, they know us, it will be like a Premier League game and we'll see what happens.'
Arsenal moved into the last eight after a superb 2-0 win over holders AC Milan at the San Siro earlier this month.
Reports have emerged suggesting that during the Gunners' stay in Italy, winger Alexander Hleb and his agent Claudio Vigorelli were involved in clandestine talks with Inter.
However, these claims have been rejected by colleagues of Vigorelli, who maintain the pair simply 'went for an ice-cream'.
While Gunners boss Wenger may have been left less than impressed by the rumours, it is understood no official complaint has been lodged.
Initially that would be with the Football Association, who would then pass the matter on to the world's governing body FIFA, which has jurisdiction and strict regulations over player transfers.
Arsenal, meanwhile, could well find themselves with representation back in the senior England squad ahead of next week's friendly in France.
Forward Theo Walcott, who turned 19 on Sunday, was yesterday conspicuous by his absence from the under-21s and is expected to be brought into Fabio Capello's party for the first time.
The former Southampton trainee was a controversial inclusion in Sven-Goran Eriksson's ill-fated World Cup squad but did not make an appearance in Germany and was then overlooked by Steve McClaren.
Another young Englishman looking to make his mark with the Gunners is teenager Luke Freeman.
The 16-year-old recently swapped Gillingham for Arsenal's London Colney training ground and is more than happy with his progress so far - having already been likened to England striker Michael Owen.
'Obviously I am still growing, and find that I am able to turn quicker than defenders, and I feel I am stronger than a lot of my opponents,' Freeman said.
'The boys in the academy have started calling me 'Owen' - obviously I'm pleased with the comparison, but I am my own player.'
Freeman added: 'I am looking forward to rising to any challenges ahead. I already feel I am a better player since my arrival.
'I am happy to be at a club like Arsenal where I have the opportunity to be the best player I can be.'
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and now the 1st match of the triple header
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Arsenal and Liverpool await titanic tussle
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Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor has been in fine form this season (©Getty Images)Conquerors of the two Milan clubs in the last round, Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC will meet for the first time in European competition – and the 200th time overall – when they contest the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final in north London.
• Arsenal's superior Premier League position and their recent record against the Anfield club may make them appear marginal favourites but Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez eliminated the Gunners from the UEFA Champions League with Valencia CF and his success in all-English contests against Chelsea FC, not to mention his club's history in the competition, should ensure no shortage of self-belief on the visitors' part.
• This is Arsenal's fifth quarter-final appearance in Europe's élite club competition and their record to date is one win and three defeats. Liverpool, by comparison, are appearing at this stage for the 12th time and have a record of eight wins and three defeats.
• Arsenal advanced to the quarter-final by deposing holders AC Milan in the first knockout round. Following a goalless draw in London, Arsène Wenger's team became the first English club to beat Milan at San Siro when goals from Cesc Fabregas (84) and Emmanuel Adebayor (90+2) secured a 2-0 triumph in the return.
• They had previously finished second in Group H behind Sevilla FC, ending the group stage with a record of W4 D1 L1.
• Liverpool's progression through the group stage was less comfortable – they won their final three matches to secure second spot in Group A behind FC Porto and a record of W3 D1 L2.
• Yet they made were impressive 3-0 aggregate winners against Italian champions FC Internazionale Milano in the first knockout round, winning 2-0 at Anfield through Dirk Kuyt (85) and Steven Gerrard (90), before a Fernando Torres strike (64) decided the return in Milan.
• Arsenal have won their last four home games against Liverpool and are unbeaten in eight fixtures against their opponents on home soil.
• The last time Liverpool prevailed at Arsenal was 13 February 2000, Titi Camara's 18th-minute goal securing a 1-0 Premier League win.
• Arsenal may also gain confidence from the fact they eliminated Liverpool from both English cup competitions last season. The London club beat then FA Cup holders Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield in a third-round tie on 6 January 2007, Tomáš Rosický (37, 45) and Thierry Henry (84) scoring for the visitors while Dirk Kuyt (71) got Liverpool's goal.
• Arsenal returned to Anfield three days later and beat Liverpool 6-3 in a League Cup quarter-final match. It was the first time the Reds had conceded six goals at home since a 6-0 reverse against Sunderland AFC in April 1930.
• For Arsenal this is only the second time they have faced English opposition in Europe and they will not want reminding of their quarter-final defeat by London rivals Chelsea FC in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League season. Arsenal finished that campaign unbeaten in the Premier League but they went down 3-2 on aggregate to Chelsea, losing the second leg 2-1 at home after a 1-1 away draw. That defeat was Arsenal's last at home in the UEFA Champions League – of the subsequent 18 games, excluding qualifiers, they have won 12 and drawn six.
• Liverpool, by contrast, have fared well in previous all-English ties. Although beaten 2-0 on aggregate by Nottingham Forest FC in the first round of the 1978/79 European Champion Clubs' Cup, they recorded victories in their three other knockout contests.
• In 1972/73 the Merseyside club got past Tottenham Hotspur FC on away goals in the UEFA Cup semi-finals following a 2-2 aggregate draw. More recently, they beat Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League semi-final in 2004/05 – winning the second leg 1-0 at Anfield following a 0-0 first-leg draw – and then repeated the feat last season when Daniel Agger's goal cancelled out a 1-0 first-leg loss in London and the Reds proceeded to win 4-1 on penalties.
• Arsenal may be above Liverpool in the Premier League standings but domestic form has counted for nothing in recent all-English duels. When Chelsea beat Arsenal in 2004 and Liverpool bettered Chelsea in 2005 and 2007, it was the losing side that finished higher in the Premier League.
• Benítez got the better of Arsenal in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League second group stage when in charge of Valencia. The teams drew 0-0 at Highbury in December 2002 and met again in their final group match at Mestalla in March 2003, when a 2-1 Valencia victory secured first place in the section for the Spanish side – and relegated Arsenal to third.
• The clubs have met 199 times previously, with Arsenal winning 70 and Liverpool 80, with 49 drawn.
• In 94 home games against Liverpool, Arsenal have recorded 41 wins, 29 draws and 24 defeats.
• Arsenal's biggest home win in this fixture was an 8-1 triumph in the English top flight in 1934/35. Liverpool's biggest victory was 5-0, on their first visit to Arsenal in the old second division in 1893/94.
• Liverpool and Arsenal last met in a two-leg tie in the English League Cup semi-final in February 1978. Liverpool won the first leg at Anfield 2-1 and held out for a goalless draw in north London in the return.
• The teams will face each other three times in the space of seven days. After the first leg on 2 April, they will reconvene at the Arsenal Stadium for a Premier League match on 5 April before the second leg of their quarter-final on 8 April.
• If that seems excessive, their counterparts in the 1979/80 season played each other five times in 20 days. After drawing their FA Cup semi-final 0-0 on 12 April, they drew two subsequent replays – 1-1 on both 16 and 28 April – before Arsenal finally prevailed in the third, winning 1-0 through a Brian Talbot goal on 1 May. In the middle of all that the teams also met in the league, drawing 1-1 at Anfield on 19 April.
• Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini was part of the Olympique de Marseille team defeated 2-0 by Benítez's Valencia in the UEFA Cup final in May 2004.
• Liverpool's Ryan Babel featured for former club AFC Ajax in their home defeat (1-2) and away draw (0-0) with Arsenal in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League group stage.
• Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas is a colleague of Liverpool trio Xabi Alonso, Pepe Reina, Álvaro Arbeloa and Torres in the Spain national squad.
• The tie also pits Arsenal forward Robin van Persie against his Dutch international team-mates Babel and Kuyt. Van Persie and Kuyt have also played together at club level, during the 2003/04 season at Feyenoord.
• Arsenal pair Jens Lehmann and Rosický finished on the losing side against Liverpool with BV Borussia Dortmund in the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League first group stage. Rosicky was denied a winning goal by the woodwork in a 0-0 home draw with the Merseyside club in September 2001, but a 2-0 defeat at Anfield the following month eliminated Dortmund and confirmed Liverpool as group winners.
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WENGER WARY OF IN-FORM TORRES
Paul Eaton 31 March 2008Arsene Wenger has identified Fernando Torres as the main danger to his Arsenal side's chances of qualifying for the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Liverpool travel to the Emirates for Wednesday night's quarter final first leg on the back of a morale boosting derby victory over Everton during which Torres netted his 28th goal of a brilliant debut season.
And it's the Spanish striker who Wenger is most concerned about ahead of the all-British clash.
"I rate Torres," said Wenger. "I believe he had quite a good start after a spell when he was in and out. Since he is back on a regular basis, he is extremely dangerous."
"We have known about him for a long time, but I never tried to sign him.
"We were interested when he first started at Atletico Madrid, but we never made any offer."
Wenger insists the Premier League flavour to this European contest means it will be both a physical and mental battle for both sides.
"When you play a 'local' team in the European Cup it is a test of character. We know we can do it, but who wants it the most?" he said.
"Against an English team the competition is always different. You come back more to a formula - the mental strengths of the two teams will make all the difference in the game.
"We know each other well, so there are two things which will make the difference - the quantity of the mental strengths available in the teams and how well the players who can make a decision perform.
"We play each other three times in six days and it will be a case of 'who is ready again'?
"You know in this game - a direct knockout - the goal conceded at home is the killer.
"In a league game you think even if you can concede a goal you can still win it.
"So we have to be organised, cautious and make sure you defend well first before you attack.
"Against Liverpool we will have to win the physical battle as well.
They can raise their game and it is a team which at home can dig deep and produce a result." -
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