UK Football

Wenger confident of wrapping up top spot

20:27 GMT, Mon 26 Nov 2007
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By Simon Baskett

SEVILLE, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger remains confident his side can complete the double over Sevilla and finish top of Champions League Group H despite missing several key players for Tuesday's match at the Sanchez Pizjuan.

"We want to finish first," Wenger told a news conference.

"It gives you a little advantage in the draw and another advantage in that you have the second game at home in the knockout stages.

"We are a team that is on a good run and we want to keep that going.

"I think it is possible to have a good result tomorrow. We give our best in every game. I love to work with this team because they are really hungry and humble and they show those two qualities in every game."

Arsenal, who have already qualified for the knockout stage, will be missing striker Robin van Persie, midfielder Alexander Hleb and fullback Gael Clichy through injury, while striker Emmanuel Adebayor and defender William Gallas are being rested.

Wenger did not expect the absences to undermine his team's chances of victory, but he did predict his side would have a tougher job taming Sevilla than when they beat the Spaniards 3-0 at the Emirates stadium in September.

HOME CROWD

"I always believe in the players who play and I don't worry too much about the players who aren't here," he said.

"Sevilla will want to do their best because they are playing in front of their home crowd and have had two bad results in the championship. They will want to show they are a very good side and will have in mind the fact that we beat them in London.

"I still think Sevilla are a very good side. It's true that we took advantage of the mistakes they made in the first game, but if you look at statistics they were the team that has had the most even game with us possession-wise. We were just a bit sharper than them on the night.

"We have to keep the main players in their attacking force like (Jesus) Navas, (Frederic) Kanoute and (Luis) Fabiano quiet."

Asked if he believed his side had the ability to win the Champions League this season, the Frenchman replied that the present team were better equipped than the team who lost in the final to Barcelona in 2006.

"We want it... we have more experience," he said. "I have always been a great believer in this group even when people said I was crazy.

"We're one of the teams that can win it, but there are between six and 10 teams that can win it because it is a Cup competition. You need to go into the knockout stages in good shape." (Editing by John Mehaffey)

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