Gael Clichy and Alex Hleb face late fitness tests ahead of the game at Aston Villa on Saturday but Cesc Fabregas is now definitely out. The Spaniard injured his hamstring at Sevilla on Tuesday and was rated as highly doubtful by Arsène Wenger at his press conference on Thursday. He failed a fitness test on Friday morning. Clichy (thigh) and Hleb (hamstring) have travelled to Birmingham ahead of the game but the manager will make a late call on both.
Meanwhile Robin van Persie (knee) and Abou Diaby (back) are injured. Mathieu Flamini returns after being kept out of the midweek defeat in Spain with a thigh injury. Emmanuel Adebayor and William Gallas are back after being rested against Sevilla.
