Van Persie and Fabregas start for Arsenal

Arsenal's hopes of knocking favourites Barcelona out of the Champions League were boosted by the inclusion of Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas for the second leg of their last-16 clash.

Holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg in north London, Arsenal had been sweating on the fitness of key striker Van Persie and captain Fabregas, who had been struggling with knee and hamstring injuries respectively.

However, both were fit to play and it was Barcelona who had availability issues. With central defenders Carles Puyol (injured) and Gerard Pique (suspended) ruled out, left-back Eric Abidal and midfielder Sergio Busquets deputised.

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