Arsenal return to the stadium where they made Champions League history tonight hoping a new generation can rise to the challenge of going one better than the old.

After all, even in today's ever-shifting footballing world there can be few clubs whose make-up has changed as much as the Gunners' in the last three years.

In 2006, Estadio El Madrigal was the setting as Arsenal reached their first final in Europe's premier competition after narrowly overcoming a Villarreal side thanks in no small part to Jens Lehmann's last-gasp penalty save.

Since Barcelona condemned the Gunners to a subsequent glorious failure in Paris, they have moved to the stunning Emirates Stadium, endured takeover jostling in the boardroom and rapidly modified the playing staff.

Only three players who started that semi-final here remain at the club - Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure and Cesc Fabregas - and of those three, one is now a midfielder, one nearly left the club altogether and the other is now captain at the tender age of 21.

"I feel we were close to winning the Champions League back then," reflected Wenger. "We lost players and this year the team has become stronger since the beginning of the season.

"It is a very young team and my hope is that we can keep them together and develop very well.

"This team has shown a fantastic spirit because they had to fight against every negative opinion existing in England and they did that very well."

It would represent a comeback of Herculean proportions should Arsenal pick themselves up off the canvas to take home Europe's grand prize after a season of injury and inner turmoil.

As if to exemplify the club's injury jinx, Wenger has used 24 players in Europe this season - only Juventus and Real Madrid have fielded more.

Such upheaval disrupted another element of the club's transition: the adoption of a new formation.

The 4-2-3-1 incarnation expected to be deployed tonight first saw light in Arsenal's 1-1 draw against Dinamo Kiev back in September, when a late William Gallas equaliser papered over the cracks of a disjointed display.

Saturday's 2-0 victory over Manchester City using the same system was a marked improvement and that progression over recent months contributes to Wenger's belief that his side have matured in the face of adversity.

"We are here because we fought very hard to get here," said the 59-year-old. "We had for a long time, no Walcott, Fabregas or Adebayor and yet managed to come back in the League and make the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They can help us to go further and I am very happy to have them back. But it is the history of our season that we had some big injuries but it didn't stop us going from to strength to strength."

Villarreal have never lost a Champions League match at home - although that record encompasses just seven games - and have conceded only one goal in five matches against English opposition at Estadio El Madrigal.

Despite Wenger's 'play to win' battle cry, Arsenal's priority will be simply to keep the tie alive following tonight's encounter, because the Spaniards are a far less formidable proposition away from their home base.

Santi Cazorla's absence through a fractured shin bone is a blow to coach Manuel Pellegrini - the winger's importance underlined in his status as the only Villarreal player to have featured in all seven Champions League ties to date.

Wenger has often trumpeted the potential of his youngsters but they must now start to realise it, starting with an improvement on last month's faltering performance in scraping past Roma on penalties in the previous round.

The record books show four trophyless years since a fortuitous 2005 FA Cup victory and the standards of achievement the Frenchman has set himself during his time in charge makes this unacceptable.

Arsenal left this stadium three years ago genuinely believing they had the chance to win the Champions League. The club may have seismically transformed, but Wenger will hope they head to the airport tomorrow night with that same feeling.

After all, just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed.