Email
Print
Digg This
By Jeremy Butler
LIVERPOOL, England, April 7 (Reuters) - Arsene Wenger tried to bolster Arsenal's faltering confidence by insisting on Monday they can still win a Premier League and Champions League double.
Wenger's side are six points behind in the league with five games left and travel to Liverpool on Tuesday after drawing last week's Champions League quarter-final, first leg 1-1 at home.
Arsenal have won just two of their last 11 games, but after leaders Manchester United were held 2-2 at Middlesbrough on Sunday, Wenger is positive about his side's chances of pulling off an unlikely double.
"I still believe we can finish as champions in the league," Wenger told a news conference.
"Manchester United's result helped us a lot because if they had won, I believe we could not have caught them. But it is compulsory that we win (at United) on Sunday to win the league.
"I also believe we can win the Champions League. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think that."
Wenger has called on his side to show the same strength of character at Anfield that they displayed when they beat AC Milan 2-0 in the previous round after drawing the home leg 0-0.
"We need a similar spirit to the one we showed at the San Siro," the Frenchman said. "I believe we have to go into the game with the same positive attitude.
"I believe we can win anywhere in the world. We are not going to play the game to go to penalties, we will play it to win.
"There will be more urgency in this game and less observation. My wish is not to be patient. I want to score early goals."
Arsenal forward Robin van Persie is in the squad for the game after missing Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool through injury.
Wenger has also discounted fears that influential midfielder Cesc Fabregas is suffering from fatigue after playing 41 games this season.
"I still think Cesc has enough in the tank, even if he has played a lot of games," Wenger said, adding he hoped Liverpool would endure the same fate his side suffered at the hands of Chelsea in another all English quarter-final in 2004.
"We drew at Chelsea 1-1 and then lost at home to a last minute goal, so we can take an example from that," he said.
