Fabregas Claims Gunners Fear NO-ONE In Europe

Cesc Fabregas insists Arsenal fear no-one going into this season's Champions League campaign and has urged the team to repeat the feat of 2006 by going all the way to the final.

Fabregas has been out of action for a couple of weeks with a hamstring problem but is thought to be fit for the return leg of the Gunners' Champions League qualifier with FC Twente, in which they lead 2-0 from the first match in Holland.

Barring any mishaps, Arsenal should make it through to the group stages of Europe's premier competition and Fabregas is tipping the team to make a huge impact this year.

"We don’t have to be afraid of anyone," he told the club's official website. " I think we’ve seen in the last few seasons we can beat anybody so you have to be positive. You have to believe that you can do it again, at least make it to the final.

"I’ve played a few finals now and you can see that anything can happen, you can play well you can play not well, you can win and lose. Certainly you have to make it there, I think we have the quality and experience to do it and we are looking forward to it."

The Spanish maestro played a starring role in his biggest final to-date in this year's Euro 2008 final, where he helped guide his country to their first European Championship in 44 years. Prior to that, the Gunners' 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League two years ago was the midfielder's last major final. But he insists that crushing loss does not play on his mind as it finally announced Arsenal's arrival as one of Europe's elite clubs.

"It’s probably the final that I think about less," he remarked. "I don’t know why.

"I think maybe because it was the one that we played better and the one we showed more desire. We were all devastated after that Final but I must say after that game we realised that Arsenal was a big club and we could compete against anyone.

"We were playing the final against Barcelona with one player less in the first five or 10 minutes they didn’t come back until the last 10 minutes. So it was really impressive and we were devastated but at the same time we felt proud for the fans and for ourselves because what we did was quite amazing."

[Guardian-Series]