By Derek Bilton
March 28 2006

All non-Iberian eyes will be focused on Highbury on Tuesday night as Arsenal and Juventus lock horns in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Be Quick On The Highbury Draw

By Derek Bilton of Bettingzone.co.uk

Arsene Wenger's men should be raring to go having enjoyed a rare weekend off after their Premiership clash with Portsmouth was called off because of a waterlogged pitch.

At this stage of the season you cannot not under-estimate the importance of a few days extra respite, and I expect the Gunners to be all the better for it come kick-off time.



In contrast Juventus were forced to defend for long periods after playing half a game with 10-men following the dismissal of Pavel Nedved against Roma.

Juve hung on to claim a point at the Stadio Delle Alpi, but that came at a cost as Alessandro Del Piero came off injured and the Italian international definitely misses out in North London.

Predictably all the pre-match talk has been about Patrick Vieira making his return to Highbury, and I expect the Frenchman to play a pivotal role in midfield.

Some punters might fancy the 33/1 on offer about the tough-tackling ball-winner seeing red on his return, but given his experience and new found maturity these days I would be very surprised to see that particular gamble land.

At first glance you have to say that Juventus look a tempting price at 9/4, given how well they are playing in Serie A right now.

The 'Old Lady' are eight points clear of nearest rivals AC Milan, and will take some reeling in from there.

However Arsenal have saved their best stuff for Europe this season, and they won't be under-estimating the significance of this game.

They impressed me in both legs against Real Madrid, and given the amount of youngsters they had in that game the potential of the squad is huge.

Yet if they are to get anything from this game then it's their old guard such as Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Sol Campbell (if selected) who are going to have to lead from the front.

Juventus are dripping with talent in every department and in David Trezeguet - a man Wenger dubbed "a snake" for his predatory instincts recently - they have a player like Henry who can drop anchor and change a game at any moment.

In terms of picking a result, I am convinced the Italians would settle for a draw.

It wouldn't be the end of the world for Arsenal either given how they performed at the Bernabeu.

I don't envisage it being a free-flowing encounter and at 11/5, that could be the way to go.

Usual suspects Henry (5/1) and Trezeguet (6/1) head the first scorer betting, but with both defences looking rock solid right now Paddy Power's 13/2 about 'No Goalscorer' looks fair enough.



The French Connection!! - UEFA Champions League

Arsenal v Juventus - TUESDAY 7.45PM – ITV1

Former team-mates Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry come head-to-head at Highbury on Tuesday evening. Paddy Power will refund all losing single 1st/last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast bets if either player scores the last goal of the match.



Applies to last goal of first leg only.
Applies to 1st/last goalscorer, correct score & scorecast single bets placed before kick-off only.
Applies to win part of each-way goalscorer bets only.
Applies to 90 minutes betting only.
Paddy Power football rules apply.
Opta Index result on last goalscorer is final.
Max Refund €300/£200 per customer
Own goals do not count