Clichy says Liverpool v Arsenal triple bill will be "quite goood fun"

Mar 20 2008 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

ARSENAL full-back Gael Clichy claims it will be “quite good fun” to take on Liverpool three times in the space of a week next month as the pair go head to head in the Premier League and Europe.

The duo were already scheduled to meet at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, April 5, in what could prove to be a key clash in the race for the title.

Now by a quirk of the fixture list they will get the chance to know each other even better over two legs of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

Arsenal host the first encounter in a fortnight’s time, with the return at Anfield on Tuesday, April 8.

It is, though, not the first time the sides will have clashed more than twice in a campaign.

During January 2007, the Gunners recorded an FA Cup and Carling Cup double in Liverpool as they won both ties in the space of just four days, running out aggregate winners by 9-4.

Earlier in the current campaign Arsene Wenger’s men earned a 1-1 draw at Anfield with a late goal from Cesc Fabregas.

Clichy, 22, feels the team will take lining up against such familiar opposition in their stride.

“I don’t think that affects the players at all,” the French defender insisted.

“We did it last season when we played the FA Cup and Carling Cup together. In fact it’s quite good fun because it doesn’t happen much.

“We will look forward to it and hopefully we will come out as the winner.”

Despite taking on well-known opponents, Clichy is not expecting anything other than a severe test of Arsenal’s credentials.

“An Italian team or Spanish team would have been fantastic, but Liverpool is not bad, they are a great side and it will be a great challenge,” he said.

“At this stage of the competition it doesn’t matter who you play against because all the teams have great quality. We know Liverpool, they know us, it will be like a Premier League game and we’ll see what happens.”

Arsenal moved into the last eight after a superb 2-0 win over holders AC Milan at the San Siro earlier this month.

Reports have emerged suggesting that during the Gunners’ stay in Italy, winger Alexander Hleb and his agent Claudio Vigorelli were involved in clandestine talks with Inter.

However, these claims have been rejected by colleagues of Vigorelli, who maintain the pair simply “went for an ice-cream”.

While Gunners manager Wenger may have been left less than impressed by the rumours, it is understood no official complaint has been lodged.

Initially that would be with the FA, who would then pass the matter on to the world’s governing body FIFA, which has jurisdiction and strict regulations over player transfers.