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Unus Alladin

INJURY-STRIKEN English Premier League side Arsenal will be hoping to finish their tour of the Far East on a high note despite having eight players on the injured list for tonight's Euro-Asia Challenge against Hong Kong club Rangers at the Hong Kong Stadium.

  The beaten European Cup Winners' Cup finalists have just played two matches in the space of two days in China.

 And that tight schedule has resulted in a number of injuries to key players including star striker Ian Wright and captain and defender Tony Adams.

  Goalkeeper David Seaman flew back to England on Wednesday night after breaking a bone in his ankle during the surprise 2-1 defeat against Gouan in Beijing.

    Swedish international midfielder Stefan Schwarz, midfielder Paul Shaw, who broke his collarbone in the 2-0 win in Tianjin on Thursday, Danish international midfielder John Jensen and strikers John Hartson and Alan Smith, have joined the growing casualty list for the Gunners, who play their third match in four days tonight.

  'It's very demanding,' said Arsenal manager Stewart Houston of the tight schedule.

  'We started with a group of 20 players and now we have 14 or so players. It was physically impossible to play on Wednesday and then on Thursday in China.

  'We should have rested. The humidity didn't help as well because it was very draining and tiring in those conditions.

  'We have picked up some injuries along the way but I'm sure the players will want to finish our tour on a high note.'   Houston was impressed with the standard of football in China.

  'They [Beijing and Tianjin] played to what I had expected of them. They are both quick, technical sides. The goalkeeper in our first game against Beijing made several exceptional saves,' said Houston.

  In contrast to Arsenal's injury woes, north London rivals Tottenham arrived in the territory yesterday in good heart - and without any major injuries - for their Euro-Asia Challenge against the Kitchee-Eastern select tomorrow night at the same venue.

  Spurs will field a full team including German international striker Jurgen Klinsmann, who joins his teammates this afternoon after picking up the British Football Writers' Player of the Year award in London on Thursday night.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS Arsenal: Vince Bartram; Nigel Winterburn, Steve Bould, Andy Linighan, Adrian Clarke; Ray Parlour, Paul Merson, Gavin McGowan, Paul Dickov; Paul Davis, Chris Kiwomya.

 Tottenham: Ian Walker; Justin Edinburgh, Gary Mabbutt, Stuart Nethercott, David Kerslake; Jason Dozzell, Kevin Watson, Darren Caskey, Danny Hill; Teddy Sheringham, Jurgen Klinsmann.



Gunners looking for a big finish