The Barclays Premier League club face Spanish outfit Villarreal for a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League, with the first leg at the intimidating El Madrigal stadium tomorrow night.

Over the past three months the Gunners have slowly regained momentum, an unbeaten run of 17 Premier League games taking them back into the top four while they have also secured an FA Cup semi-final date against Chelsea at Wembley.

Wenger has long championed the potential of the current crop of players, which he believes could become Arsenal's most successful side and just need to get a first trophy to cement that belief.

Almunia, 31, sees no reason why the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott cannot fire the Gunners to success in 2009.

"It looks to be the season for the young players to be man enough to face all the big competitions we have," he said.

"Players like Alex Song, Abou Diaby and Theo Walcott - when these players are 100% fit, they can be mentally prepared to be totally professional, and they have the potential to win trophies.

"We can win every single game and we are here to do it."

Almunia added: "Villarreal are a difficult team, but we do not fear them.

"Technically, Villarreal are not better than Arsenal. We have a lot of talent in our team.

"Villarreal have very good technical players, because that is the Spanish game - but we do not play the typical English football.

"Arsenal play lovely football, and to do that you need good players technically."

Almunia watched from the bench the last time Arsenal took on the Yellow Submarine as Wenger's men secured the goalless draw they needed to progress to the 2006 Champions League final, courtesy of a dramatic late penalty save from Jens Lehmann.

Fabregas, now Gunners skipper, was in the starting XI that night, and marked his return from a three-month injury lay-off to set up both goals for fit-again Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor in the 2-0 Premier League win over Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Arsenal, though, must again do without leading scorer Robin van Persie, who suffered a groin problem while away with Holland during the international break, but winger Samir Nasri travelled to Spain after being laid low by a virus.

Russian midfielder Andrey Arshavin is ineligible for the Champions League having played for Zenit St Petersburg during the group stages before his January transfer to north London.

Wenger could again opt to press Fabregas into a more advanced role tomorrow night, and insisted: "We cannot approach the game in any other way than to win.

"There is no other way to approach any other game in football, no matter where you play.

"What is important is how much belief we take into tomorrow.

"I am convinced we have enough experience to know that these kind of games are for 180 minutes - and that every single minute is important."

Wenger added: "The team has become stronger since the beginning of the season.

"This team has shown a fantastic spirit, because they had to fight against every negative opinion existing in England, and they did that very well.

"I have a lot of respect for my team because of the mental strength they have shown.

"It is a very young team and my hope is that we can keep them together and develop very well."

Arsenal are set to come up against one of their finest former players tomorrow in Robert Pires.

The 35-year-old winger spent six successful seasons at Highbury.

However, the Frenchman's Arsenal career ended on a disappointing note with a last appearance for the Gunners in the 2006 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona, when he was substituted in an early tactical change following the sending-off of Lehmann.

Wenger declared: "Pires was one of the great players I have signed.

"Of course I would think that opinion would be shared by many Arsenal fans.

"Robert is still loved by the club and I have a lot of respect for what he has done for the club."