Unbeaten in 18 English Premier League games, Arsenal has advanced to the semifinals of the English FA Cup and UEFA Champions League with a remarkable run impossible to have imagined just four months ago. Manager Arsene Wenger, for one, never seemed to doubt that his young team would find its form.
“I feel that confidence transfers from one competition to another,” Wenger said. The Gunners meet Chelsea Saturday at Wembley in the FA Cup and open the Champions League series against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Arsenal manager expects an exciting series against United.
“I believe that they are always exciting games between us,” he said. “Both sides like to go forward so it will be a promising semifinal. We are up for the challenge. It is not difficult psychologically [to play an English club[. I believe that if you want to go far in the Champions League. you have to play an English team at some stage.”