Hedman aiming to be No.1

Magnus Hedman has been troubled with injury while with Celtic

Magnus Hedman will on Saturday face the threat of the returning Patrick Vieira as the goalkeeper attempts to stake his claim to be first choice with Celtic.

Vieira will play his first game for Arsenal since undergoing surgery during the summer as the sides clash at Celtic Park.

Hedman, meanwhile, has found games hard to come by since his arrival from Coventry City last season.

Injury and the good form of Robert Douglas were the main factors, while Javier Sanchez Broto took over as first choice while the Scotland international was himself crocked.

But Celtic boss Martin O'Neill has appeared undecided about which was his best goalkeeper, although Broto has since priced himself out of a new contract and is now on trial at Southamton.

You expect a hot atmosphere in Glasgow and that's a good mental preparation for us Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger

Douglas was between the sticks as Celtic romped to a 4-0 win in Kaunas in Wednesday's Champions League qualifier.

But Hedman told his club's website: "It is a chance for us to play against one of the best teams in the Premiership and it is always good to test yourself against the best names.

"The season has more or less started now and, as far as I'm concerned, it's up to the manager to go with whoever he thinks will do a job for him. I just need to do my talking on the pitch."

Celtic beat English Premiership side Fulham last month but were swept aside 4-0 by Manchester United in the United States.

"It will be another tough one for us," said Hedman. "The game in Seattle against Manchester United was a bit of a nightmare for us and, while this is a game against a team of similar quality, I hope we do a lot better."

Top scorer Henrik Larsson will miss the match with a hamstring strain picked up in Lithuania but will be available for the league opener the following weekend against Dunfermline Athletic.

The Arsenal game is also too soon for John Hartson as he recovers from surgery, while David Fernandez will be missing as he is back in Spain waiting for his wife to give birth.

Vieira will play at Celtic Park as he bids to regain full fitness after his summer knee operation designed to repair damage that curtailed his involvement in the title run-in last season and was later aggravated at a pop concert.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may not push his other French internationals - Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Sylvain Wiltord - back into action until the Community Shield as they were involved in the Confederations Cup this summer.

After taking on Celtic in Glasgow, Arsenal then face Rangers before starting their preparations for the Community Shield against Manchester United next weekend.

"When you go up to Scotland, you expect a hot atmosphere and that's a good mental preparation for us," said Wenger.

Wenger has only one summer signing to include in his plans, with German international goalkeeper Jens Lehmann having played the first-half of this week's friendly against Besiktas in Austria.

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