Manager, Arsene Wenger will be without several key men for the clash with Luciano Spalletti's in-form Roma side at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, with midfielders Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky and front-men Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo sidelined.
And the Brazilian known as 'The Beast' - who spent a season on loan at Arsenal from Real Madrid in 2006/07, scoring 10 times - is confident that will give his new side a crucial advantage.
"I think we are favourites for this game without a doubt," he told the Daily Star. "The absence of Fabregas, Adebayor, Walcott and Eduardo is too much for Arsenal to handle at the moment. Rosicky is also out.
"We know that Arsenal are a dangerous team whatever side they put out, but missing all of these players will be a huge blow for them and affect their chances.
"We know that this will be a tough game with a cracking atmosphere. But we have proved ourselves in reaching the knockout stages so we have nothing to fear. The fact we play the second leg at home is a huge boost for us."
ARSENAL FANS! Check FourFourTwo.com’s ever-expanding interviews archive for more stuff to read:
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One on One Arsene Wenger, Thierry Henry, Ian Wright
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What Happened Next? Gus Caesar, Peter Marinello
And Another Thing Being a Big Four fan
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