Gilberto faces the fans

By Jim Wirth

Fresh from playing in Arsenal FC's 1-1 UEFA Champions League draw with Chelsea FC, Brazilian international midfield player Gilberto swapped the training ground for uefa.com's MasterCard Talk Football chat room on Thursday to take part in one of our Expert Chats.

Chelsea joy
And with memories of Stamford Bridge still fresh in his mind, user mongo was quick to ask what Gilberto had thought of the Gunners' first-leg display. "We played well in a very tough match," replied Gilberto. "The result was very important because it was an away match and we now have a slight advantage because we scored an away goal, but it will be another hard game at Highbury in the second leg."

Same approach
User bpd asked Gilberto what approach Arsenal would take in the return leg at Highbury, to which he responded: "We have to do what we always do - we don't need to do anything different. It's a home match so I think we will be more attacking than last night."

'We can't relax'
Club Brugge fan wondered whether Arsenal could beat Chelsea for a fourth time this season. Gilberto wisely refrained from being too optimistic, saying: "We can but it doesn't mean we will. We can't relax and rely on having beaten them before."

Faith in Arsenal
However, for all that caution, there was abundant evidence that the 27-year-old does not lack faith in Arsenal's prospects. Asked about their chances of winning the Champions League, he retorted: "We have a chance but we know how hard it will be. If we keep playing the way we are now, we can do it. It's a dream for all the players here to win the Champions League."

'Not afraid'
And while the draw means that Arsenal could well have to beat both Real Madrid CF and AC Milan if they are to claim their first European Champion Clubs' Cup, Glberto seemed unconcerned, telling toon and Arsenal001 that he feared neither side, "because we are not afraid of any team. If you want to win a tournament you have no choice but to play the best teams."

Herculean spirit
The Herculean team spirit that manager Arsène Wenger has instilled in his players has been cited by many as the secret of Arsenal's success, and Gilberto was delighted to tell arsenalfcrulez14 that the spirit in both the Brazil and Arsenal camps was great. "It's hard to compare Brazil with Arsenal because I am playing with different players," he said. "Arsenal has a wonderful atmosphere and everyone gets on very well and it's the same thing with Brazil."

London life
On a personal note, Gilberto explained to redhat that he was enjoying living in London. "I am fine and am used to living here now," he said. "The cold weather is sometimes hard, especially when sometimes I think it will be sunny and then it snows!" However, he admitted that English cuisine was still something of a mystery to him. "I don't mind the food but I still prefer Brazilian cooking," he said.

Mandolin king
The Brazilian also revealed that he had found a new hobby to keep him occupied during the long, cold winter nights, telling user best me that he had hitherto unheralded musical talents. "I play the mandolin and I've been having lessons and can already play some Samba tunes," said Gilberto.