Vote: Should Arsene Wenger Risk Cesc Fabregas Against Porto?

By Ollie Irish

The papers seem to think that Monsieur Wenger will risk Cesc Fabregas against Porto in the Champions League tomorrow evening. Wenger told The Sun: “I’m ready to take the gamble. But if there is more than a 50 per cent chance of his hamstring going I will not take it.”

This is a very tough call, obviously. Do Arsenal try to get past Porto without their most influential player? It could all go horribly wrong…

The worst-case scenario: On a chilly night in north London, Fabregas really pings his tweaked hamstring, Arsenal go out of the Champions League, Fabregas misses three-four weeks of the Premier League run-in. For Gooners, it doesn’t bear thinking about.

I wouldn’t start with Fabregas, but I would have him on the bench as an insurance policy. Even without Cesc, and at home, I fancy Arsenal to beat the Portuguese side, who are a decent outfit but eminently beatable; Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott look in good nick, and they can provide the creative spark sans Cesc.

What would you do, armchair Wengers?