Arsenal forward Eduardo will be under the microscope in his side's Champions League clash at Standard Liege on Wednesday as he returns to European action after being granted a surprise reprieve by UEFA.
Arsenal forward Eduardo will be under the microscope in his side's Champions League clash at Standard Liege on Wednesday as he returns to European action after being granted a surprise reprieve by UEFA.
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Eduardo was due to miss Arsenal's opening two matches in Europe's elite club competition following his suspension for allegedly deceiving the referee to win a penalty in the Gunners' qualifying-round victory over Celtic last month.
But Arsenal appealed the decision and the Brazil-born Croatian discovered on Monday that UEFA had overturned the original verdict after reviewing video evidence, allowing Eduardo to join Arsene Wenger's squad in Belgium.
The 26-year-old admitted he was relieved to have cleared his name and immediately set his sights on making a positive impact on Wednesday.
"I'm very pleased that we have finally arrived at the truth. All we needed to do was to prove what happened and we have managed to do that. This decision makes me feel a lot better," Eduardo said.
"I just want to say that I'm a fair player. To score goals you must take your opportunities and I'm not the type of player who needs to be dishonest to score goals.
"Now I just want to forget about this and think about our match against Standard Liege on Wednesday.
"I was always prepared for the match in Belgium because I had a good feeling and I always remained positive about the outcome. Now we have a final result, I can now look forward to helping the team on Wednesday."
After a chastening 4-2 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday, Wenger's side desperately needed some good news and Eduardo's return will prove a much-needed morale boost.
More importantly, Eduardo's presence will allow Wenger to tinker with a team that was blown away by City.
If Eduardo starts alongside Robin van Persie, it is safe to say that both forwards will be in the limelight.
Every challenge that sends Eduardo to the ground will be analysed for any signs that he has exaggerated his fall, while Wenger will hope van Persie has completely recovered from being kicked in the head by former teammate Emmanuel Adebayor at the weekend.
Tomas Rosicky could also play a significant role in helping Arsenal bounce back from two successive defeats.
The Czech Republic midfielder, fit at last after a series of injury problems, scored and provided an assist against City on his first Gunners appearance since January 2008.
Rosicky admits he is still some way from peak form but he expects to be able to contribute in Belgium.
"I am far from my ideal performing level but think I can be helpful to the team in my current shape," he said.
"I am back and all right in terms of football skills but the crucial thing is that my body needs to get used to the enormous weekly workload."
Belgian champions Standard Liege, playing in the Champions League group stage for the first time, suffered a blow ahead of Arsenal's visit when influential captain Steven Defour was ruled out with a broken foot.
Defour suffered the injury in Saturday's 3-0 win over KV Mechelen and Laszlo Boloni's side, who have drawn four of their first six league matches, are also without midfielder Axel Witsel, who is serving a ban for an horrific tackle during a recent league match.
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