I have nothing to prove to Barcelona, insists Fabregas on Nou Camp return

The Spain World Cup winner returns to the team he left as a teenager for the first time in a competitive club fixture following another summer of transfer speculation over a £30m move.

However, Fabregas, 23, insists after battling back to fitness from a hamstring injury to play, delivering a performance for the Gunners is his only focus.

“I am not here to shut up comments or to beat anyone specifically or whatever. I am just here to win for Arsenal Football Club,” Fabregas said when fronting the media at the Nou Camp last night.

“Sometimes I don’t understand these reactions or comments about people saying I want this or I feel this. I want to win for Arsenal and that’s it. That’s easy for me.

“I don’t put anything extra in my head because I play against Barcelona in the Nou Camp.

“It is a special game for everyone because it is a special stadium and we play against a good team and that’s it. Its one more game that we want to win.

“We want to do well for the club and we want to get through to the next stage of the Champions League.

“There is nothing more to it than that – we just want to go through and get to the quarter-final.”

Fabregas, though, revealed the prospect of having to miss another chance to face his old club was a difficult period.

“Over the last few weeks I have suffered a bit because I was a bit upset because I did not know whether I was going to make it, but I have great feelings now,” the midfielder said. “Sometimes you cannot take a big gamble to come back quicker.”

Fabregas missed last season’s Champions League quarter-final encounter at the Nou Camp after suffering a broken leg in the first tie in London.

The Gunners skipper knows full well his side, boosted by the possible return of leading scorer Robin van Persie, cannot allow Lionel Messi to run riot again, the Argentinian having netted all four goals in a masterclass last April.

“We know that you cannot give space to Messi because he scored four goals and was outstanding,” Fabregas said.