The Arsenal manager confirmed defender William Gallas will be out for the rest of the season with the knee ligament damage he suffered in the Champions League quarter-final draw against Villarreal on Tuesday.

Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia will be missing for three weeks with an ankle injury which saw him replaced by Lukasz Fabianski during the tie in Spain.

And full-back Gael Clichy will also miss a crucial fortnight with a back injury after a European tie which made headlines for Emmanuel Adebayor's wonderfully acrobatic goal but which has come at a high cost for the rest of Arsenal's season.

It leaves Wenger with a seriously decimated squad as Arsenal face the return leg against Villarreal at the Emirates next Wednesday and an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley the following weekend.

Wenger said: "It is not the best news for Gallas. He's a quick recoverer but we think it will be too short to come back before the end of the season. It is a big blow but the squad comes in.

"We are on a strong run in the league and want to keep the run going. We did that even without the injured players. We have improved as a team and shown mental strength.

"We want just to focus on the short term and not look back too much."

Wenger will hope for better news tomorrow when striker Robin van Persie and Croatia forward Eduardo undergo fitness tests which could see them return for Saturday's Premier League game at Wigan.

Long-term absentee Tomas Rosicky is "not close" to playing again, according to Wenger.

Wenger, however, believes it is important Arsenal, currently lying fourth six points behind Chelsea, try to clinch third spot in the league.

"It is super important to keep the run going," said Wenger.

"Consistency is the real sign that we have improved and at the moment we are quite consistent.

"It is important that the team gives a good collective performance. We are a team which relies on our passing and the quality of our collective play.

"We lost three players on Tuesday night so we have to rely again on our depth in the squad which is quite strong. Until now we have dealt well with our problems."

Wenger warned against complacency in the Champions League following his side's encouraging away performance against Villarreal and believes only Barcelona, who beat Bayern Munich 4-0 at home in their first leg, have clinched a semi-final spot.

The Arsenal boss also said no-one should write off Liverpool, even though they were defeated 3-1 at Anfield by Chelsea.

Wenger said: "Arsenal v Villarreal and Manchester United v Porto are still to be decided. Barcelona looks to be through completely and Chelsea are in a strong position.

"But it is still to be decided because Liverpool can respond and be strong away from home.

"Everywhere you play at the moment you have to be completely 100%. If you are just a little bit off your best you get punished."