• Carling Cup

Van Persie handed captaincy as Cesc misses out

Robin van Persie will captain Arsenal in the absence of Cesc Fabregas © PA Photos

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Arsenal have confirmed Robin van Persie will captain the side in the Carling Cup final against Birmingham City on Sunday - ending any chance of Cesc Fabregas making an appearance.

The Spaniard, who limped off against Stoke City on Wednesday, had been desperately hoping to recover in time to retain the armband and lead his side out at Wembley - despite manager Arsene Wenger's certainty the talisman would not be involved.

And now the Frenchman has confirmed that vice-captain Van Persie will captain the side, with Fabregas sidelined in order to be available for future games - most obviously against Barcelona in the Champions League in two weeks.

"He's injured, and you cannot play football when you are injured," Wenger said of Fabregas. "He's sad and disappointed of course, but it could have been worse. We have so many targets in front of us that it is important that he is not out for longer.

"The vice-captain [Van Persie] will take over, of course. He's back."

Asked how long Fabregas would be absent, Wenger replied: "One or two games maybe."

Theo Walcott was another player to come off injured in the game against Stoke, and the prognosis from Wenger is slightly bleaker than that for Fabregas - with the winger almost certain to miss both the final and the forthcoming trip to Spain.

"I believe it will be two to three weeks," Wenger said, when asked about the Englishman's probable lay-off.

Despite the absences, Wenger is confident he has enough options at his disposal to engineer victory against Birmingham.

"I believe what is important now is that the squad focuses on the game we want to play on Sunday, I ideally want everybody fit but you know you can have some players injured and we can deal with it," Wenger said.

"I'm delighted we have a squad to deal with the number of players injured. We have shown that in the last few months. We have belief, confidence, we are committed and determined to overcome the last hurdle and win the Carling Cup. That is what we focus on."

A victory on Sunday would see the Gunners lift their first silverware in almost six years - the last being the FA Cup in 2005. While Wenger is aware of the milestone, he believes what has happened previously is not as significant as what Carling Cup success could mean for the club's future.

"What is important is not what happened in the last five years, but what we can do now," he said. "It can help us to have more confidence for the other trophies."

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