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Camden Sports - by STEVE BARNETT
Published: 9 April 2009

‘Good chance we’ll reach the last four’

Wenger confident of beating Spanish

ARSENE Wenger is confident that his resilient young side will overcome Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium next Wednesday and secure a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The Gunners earned a respectable 1-1 draw at the Estadio El Madrigal on Tuesday thanks to Emmanuel Adebayor’s wonder strike.
Now Wenger is backing his boys to finish the job and secure a place against either FC Porto or Manchester United in the final four.
“It puts us in a great position,” the Arsenal manager said.
“I am confident because of the quality we have shown, added to the mental strength and desire we have shown. But we know Villarreal are a good team as well, so we will be on our toes and focused.
“This team has shown the whole season they are mentally very strong and when they have backs to the wall, these young players always find an answer.”
It really was a game of two halves in Spain, with Villarreal dominating the first 45 minutes and taking a deserved lead through Marcos Senna’s stunning 30-yard strike. But Arsenal turned the game around after the break and grabbed a draw when Adebayor unleashed a spectacular scissor-kick, scoring a decisive away goal.
Wenger added: “It was a great goal.
“At the start his body was a bit in the wrong position to score, but he managed to turn that into an advantage.”
Wenger will now have to prepare his team for a tough trip to Wigan on Saturday without injured duo Manuel Almunia and William Gallas.
Almunia aggravated an old ankle problem, while there are fears that Gallas will miss the rest of the season after sustaining a knee injury.

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