Cesc sweats on final fitness

Fabregas limped out of the victory after just 14 minutes when he felt discomfort in his hamstring and was joined on the sidelines in the second half by team-mate Theo Walcott, who sprained his ankle in a clumsy tackle by Dean Whitehead.

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger ruled Walcott out of Monday's (AEDT) Wembley showdown with Birmingham but Fabregas will be assessed by the club's medical staff to see if he will be fit for the clash he so desperately wants to be a part of.

Fabregas said on Twitter last night: "I dont know if I'll make Sunday or not, but all I know is that from this moment to Sunday I won't sleep if it's necessary. I've waited too long to captain a final for Arsenal and I won't give up till the last second."

Wenger has admitted that he did not know how long the pair would be out for.

The worst case scenario for the Gunners is that Walcott and Fabregas, who has struggled with hamstring problems in the past, will not be fit for the second leg of the club's UEFA Champions League last-16 tie with Barcelona in two weeks.

Wenger said: "Theo Walcott has an ankle sprain and he is out. For how long, I don't know, but he is definitely out of Sunday.

"Fabregas has a hamstring problem. It is impossible to see how serious it is. We will know on Thursday."

Wenger confirmed that he will know by Friday whether Laurent Koscielny and Robin van Persie, who are struggling with back and hamstring complaints respectively, will be fit for the final.