All rise for King Louis

13 April 2012

While Arsene Wenger hopes common sense prevails over international call-ups involving his French contingent, he is preparing for a confrontation with a striker who he feels could break into the world champions' squad before the World Cup finals next summer.

The Arsenal manager hopes none of his quartet of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord and Robert Pires is nominated for France's friendly with Australia in November. And if France manager Roger Lemerre decides not to pick Gunners strikers Henry or Wiltord, that could open the door for Fulham's French forward Louis Saha, who Arsenal face tomorrow.

The issue of call-ups for the match in Melbourne is being looked at by football's world governing body FIFA. Wenger said: "How can they (FIFA) sort it out? They can't, it seems, cancel the game but maybe they can limit the number of players from one club. If they don't do that, there really is no solution.

"I feel there is a lot of frustration inside the clubs. We sent four fit players to Chile a fortnight ago and we got back three sick players (Pires, Wiltord and Henry). They are still not physically back to the condition they were in before they went.

"It will be even worse in Australia because the journey is around 23 hours. But the French FA have it over all their players that they may not go to the World Cup. But some players will not go. I know that already.

"Everybody knows who they are. I don't know if Zinedine Zidane will go but you look at some trips and some players always seem to be injured before France play. I realise that if France insist, we can't do anything but I do what I think is reasonable - working, as I do, for Arsenal. Those who cheat will stay at home, those that don't will go."

Among those who may be recruited for the match is Saha - a player that Wenger feels has more than an outside chance of making the final 22 for Japan and South Korea.

"I knew about him from a very young age," said Wenger of Saha, who was in the same year as Henry at the French football academy at Clairefontaine near Paris. "The coach of the French Under-17 team said to me they had an excellent player coming through. That was Saha.

"I am not surprised he has been a success at Fulham. He is strong on the ball, makes good runs and he is not scared.

"He is able to cope, where bravery is concerned, with English football. He will be a candidate for the French national team for the World Cup."

Tomorrow, Wenger will at first hand see the progress Fulham have made under fellow Frenchman Tigana in the Premiership game at Craven Cottage.

"Jean Tigana has done very well at Fulham and I think they will finish in the top seven," said Wenger. "In many ways there is a similarity between the way he has come into English football and myself.

"He has tried to get Fulham to play in the right way and they are always positive. He has also bought well. Yes, he has had money to spend but you have to spend it in the right way and he has done that.

"He has brought top-quality players to Fulham like Steve Marlet and Steed Malbranque. Marlet is a French international that we know about from playing against Lyon and Malbranque is a young midfielder I looked at while he was at Lyon. But they did not want to sell."

And then there is Sylvain Legwinski, Fulham's signing from Bordeaux. Wenger knows about his talents having signed him from non-League Vichy when he was at Monaco.

Tony Adams, who missed the 1-0 Champions League defeat against Real Mallorca on Tuesday with a foot injury, is unlikely to figure tomorrow but could face Schalke 04 in the European competition next Wednesday.

Wenger may decide to shuffle his front-line and give Francis Jeffers his first start.

Vieira and Ray Parlour can both play after missing last Saturday's 1-1 draw at Chelsea through suspension.

Fulham will be without defender Alain Goma, who has a hip injury, and full-back Jon Harley is likely to be ruled out with a groin strain. Striker Marlet may recover from a knee injury in time to make his debut.

Fulham v Arsenal
3pm, tomorrow, Craven Cottage

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All rise for King Louis

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