Fab Ready For The Bash

Fabregas limped off before the break during the draw with Burnley in a match that left Wenger fuming at the fixture compilers and the Premier League defending their schedule. Wenger immediately ruled his captain out of the clash against Hull on Saturday, although the injury may not be as bad as first feared. "Cesc had a scan today," said Wenger. "We have not had the result yet. "The only thing that is sure is that he will not play on Saturday. "Beyond that, it all depends on the scan. Is it a tightness that just presents a small risk on Saturday or is it a slight strain - grade one or two? We'll know that later.
"If it is a tear it is a small one and the maximum would be 10 days. So it is not long-term." Denilson could deputise for Fabregas against Hull after recovering from a back problem. "Denilson is back and available for Saturday," Wenger said on Arsenal TV Online. Nicklas Bendtner, Tomas Rosicky, Gael Clichy and Armand Traore will be unavailable, and Wenger said: "The first back should be Traore, maybe for Aston Villa (on December 27)." Wenger was furious after being asked to play Liverpool on Sunday and Burnley on Wednesday before hosting Hull on Saturday, while Phil Brown's side have enjoyed a free week. Frenchman Wenger suggested "the guy who organised the fixtures this season must have come out of a special school, because he is more intelligent than I am" but is unlikely to face action from authorities over his clumsy statement.
The Premier League, however, strongly stand by the way the fixtures have been arranged, given that the campaign finishes earlier than last season due to the World Cup. "The Premier League fixture calendar is a complicated process," a Premier League spokesperson said. "It is as fair as possible to the clubs who all take an active part in the process ahead of the fixtures being announced. "This Barclays Prem
ier League season has been a particularly difficult one to schedule given an increased amount of Champions League and Europa League dates from UEFA, and a truncated season because of the FIFA World Cup. That will not be the case next season." Other factors for the way fixtures have been compiled include the Champions League last-16 matches being played over four weeks rather than two, while the final of the competition being on a Saturday impacts on the FA Cup final.
There is also an argument that issues could have been brought up during the Fixtures Working Party at the start of the season when representatives from clubs, the Football Association, police and fans' groups met. Wenger reacted after his side dropped points at Turf Moor and saw captain Cesc Fabregas limp off with a hamstring injury during the 1-1 draw. Gunners midfielder Abou Diaby said: "We have to get closer to Chelsea and catch them and that is why we're so disappointed that we couldn't take another step and we lost some points. It is very frustrating.
"This league is very tough and everyone knows that. The most important thing is to focus on the next game." The Burnley result left Arsenal eight points behind league leaders and London rivals Chelsea, but Diaby believes victory over Hull at the Emirates Stadium will lift spirits.
The Frenchman, whose start at Burnley was his first since suffering a calf injury against Wolves a month ago, said: "We are very disappointed because, from the last three games, we wanted to continue our winning run. "We missed our chance to kill the game and at the end we drew, so we are very disappointed. "Burnley are a good team. We knew at home they are very strong and it would be difficult to beat them.