Barca trio fit to face Gunners

Gerard Pique, Xavi and Yaya Toure have all been declared fit for Barcelona's Champions League quarter-final first leg with Arsenal…

Gerard Pique, Xavi and Yaya Toure have all been declared fit for Barcelona's Champions League quarter-final first leg with Arsenal on Wednesday.

The reigning champions were already planning without key midfielder Andres Iniesta, who sustained a thigh injury against Real Mallorca at the weekend, and had concerns over the trio.

However, Pep Guardiola is now confident all three can start at the Emirates Stadium.

The rest afforded to Pique for the 1-0 victory over Mallorca appears to have paid dividends, while the ankle problem that forced Toure off midway through the second half on Saturday has also been revealed to be minor.

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Xavi replaced Toure for the final half-hour after recovering from a recent calf injury and came through the match unscathed.

Eric Abidal has also been given the all-clear to return to training after overcoming an adductor muscle problem in his left leg.

The French full-back will not make the trip to London but Guardiola will be looking forward to getting him back soon after an absence of several weeks.

Arsenal remain unsure as to whether their talismanic Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas will be fit.

The captain received a blow just below the knee in the 1-1 draw with Birmingham City on Saturday and, although he managed to finish the match, Arsene Wenger was unable to offer any assurances that Fabregas would be available to take on his former club.