March 28, 2006	Tuesday	Safar 27, 1427

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LONDON, March 27: For Liverpool in 2005, read Arsenal in 2006. Like Liverpool last season, Arsenal is struggling to secure a Champions League spot by finishing in the top four of the Premier League. Just like the Reds in 2005, the Gunners are far behind runaway leader Chelsea.

And, also like Liverpool last year, Arsenal faces Juventus in the quarterfinals of Europe’s most prestigious club competition and starts with home advantage.

Liverpool won that game 2-1, drew 0-0 with Juve in Turin and went on to beat AC Milan in the final in Istanbul.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will take that outcome when the Gunners face the reigning Italian champion and Serie A leader at Highbury on Tuesday.

Like Liverpool in 2005, Arsenal has saved its best form for the Champions League. Wenger’s team ousted nine-time winner Real Madrid in the last round without conceding a goal.

The Gunners face a familiar face at the heart of the Juve midfield.

Patrick Vieira played nine seasons for Arsenal before moving to Juventus in the summer. The physical French midfielder helped the Gunners win three Premier League and four FA Cup titles. However, Arsenal didn’t win any European trophies during Vieira’s time at Highbury and that’s why he left for Turin.

The absence of Vieira’s influential contribution to the Arsenal midfield is one of the main reasons the Gunners have flopped in the league this term with 10 losses, the most since before he moved to Highbury a decade ago.

Vieira’s form for Juve has not been impressive in recent games, however, prompting speculation that the Frenchman is carrying an injury.

While the Italian club has a former Arsenal great in its lineup, the Gunners are relying on a former Juve player to score and create the goals.

Thierry Henry had one season with the Turin side before moving to Arsenal in 1999. The French striker scored three times in 16 league appearances as a goalscoring winger for Juve.

Since then, Henry has blossomed into one of the world’s top strikers at Highbury. He has broken Arsenal’s scoring records, surpassing 200 goals in February, and now tries to knock his former club out of the Champions League.

The other quarterfinal of the night pits favourites Barcelona who ended Chelsea’s interest in the competition against Portunal’s Benefica who ended Liverpool’s reign as champions in the knockout stage.

The other two quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday between Inter Milan against Spain’s Villareal and Olympique Lyon versus AC Milan.—Agencies