2009-04-14 11:21:04 -

LONDON (AP) - Arsenal needs only a 0-0 draw against Villarreal on Wednesday to reach the Champions League semifinals, yet manager Arsene Wenger will be counting more on his strikeforce than his injury-hit defense.
A 1-1 draw in Spain last week means that the Gunners, chasing an elusive first title in European football's biggest club competition, can advance on away goals with a scoreless draw at the Emirates Stadium.
Wenger doesn't believe in playing a defensive game, however, especially as he has a goalkeeper and two defenders sidelined.
«We know we are in a situation where we don't want to be tentative at all,» Wenger said. «We want to be decisive but you can only do that if you decide to play in a very positive way.
«We have scored that away goal so it could have an importance at the end of the day. I don't believe that we are a team who can play for 0-0. That's not our natural way. If there are five minutes to go and it's 0-0 even goal kicks make you nervous.
Saturday's 4-1 victory at Wigan in the Premier League suggests Arsenal's best chance of reaching the last four is attack.
«I expect some strength from us to say, 'listen, we have the opportunity to get to the semifinal at home, let's take it,»' Wenger said.
«I am confident we will and we have the needed quality to do that. But you know from their game that (Villarreal) can be dangerous as well.
The winner of Wednesday's game at the Emirates Stadium will face either defending champion Manchester United or FC Porto in the semifinal. United and Porto are 2-2 going into Wednesday's quarterfinal second leg in Portugal. The final is in Rome on May 27.
Russian forward Andrey Arshavin is ineligible because he played for Zenit St. Petersburg in the competition before his transfer to the Gunners, but Arsenal has most of its forwards back after injury.
Robin van Persie and Eduardo da Silva are close to starting while Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott both played in Saturday's victory at Wigan which strengthened Arsenal's grip on fourth place in the Premier League.

Wenger's problems are at the back with first choice goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and leftback Gael Clichy injured and centerback William Gallas out for the rest of the season.
Villarreal's major injury blow is the loss of midfielder and team captain Marcos Senna, who picked up a hamstring problem in Saturday's 2-0 loss to Malaga. Senna scored Villarreal's goal in the first leg with a spectacular long-range shot and the absence of the key player from Spain's Euro 2008 triumph will weaken the visitors.
Santi Cazorla is also out with a broken leg and, although Matias Fernandez and Ruben «Cani» Garcia missed the loss to Malaga, coach Manuel Pellegrini has recalled them to the squad in the hope they will be recovered from injuries.