Hugely experienced, and with only one league defeat this season, they are favourites to qualify for a Champions League semi-final against Villareal or old rivals Internazionale.

Arsene Wenger, while determined not to take his eye off the Premiership ball, is a studious enough observer of European football to have formulated some preliminary thoughts about the tie even while preparing for yesterday's trip to Portsmouth. They were optimistic thoughts too, for in overwhelming Fulham and Charlton with the quality of their football on either side of squeezing past Real and Liverpool, Arsenal offered convincing evidence that an awkward, if not ugly, duckling may be turning into a swan.

"We take heart from the fact that we believe we are stronger than two or three months ago, " Wenger said.

"Youth has its disadvantages but also its advantages. They have no fear and they lose it very quickly when they play in top level games. When you have a period where you have a doubt about your team, experience suddenly becomes important. When you have no doubts, youth is even better for you."

Thus have Arsenal's coaches and supporters alike drawn some positive conclusions recently to counter the negativity induced by physical batterings at places like Everton, Blackburn and Bolton. "This team is on the way up, " Wenger insists. "But in our job you cannot waste time. That's why it's important to be in the Champions League again next season.

This team is so young that they could gain three or four years' experience by being in the Champions League again and that's why I'm highly determined to get back into fourth position."

The decision to sell Patrick Vieira to Fabio Capello's Juve last summer for an irresistible £13.7m at the same time as the experienced Brazilian Edu was leaving meant an enforced dependence on youth. One fascinating aspect of Tuesday's game will therefore be to ascertain how well Cesc Fabregas, the sorcerer's apprentice, stands up to his former master. Another will be whether Vieira is at all affected by the emotional resonance of his return to London in a way that David Beckham appeared to be for Madrid.

"Patrick will be highly motivated, " Wenger said. "Having the semi-final of the Champions League at stake is above personal motivations and I've never seen anybody saying 'please, you go [first], I'm not motivated'. At that level, you won't count on any lack of motivation in your opponent. You expect him to play at his best and you know the only way to come through is to play at your best. We believe we can turn that little fraction that makes the difference in our favour."

A central midfield of Vieira and Emerson, the doughty Brazilian, should test Fabregas and Gilberto Silva to a degree that Madrid never managed over two legs. "We have an opportunity to show we can compete against a different style of play, and be as efficient, " Wenger said.

"We knew against Real Madrid both teams would go for it. This time I believe that Juventus will play in a more restricted way. They will be efficient. They will create maybe two chances and try to take one. They are top of their league so there is no question about their quality, with a good balance between efficiency and domination. They can suck you in."

"[Lilian] Thuram is a rock at the heart of the defence.

Mentally he is very, very strong and one who never gives up and had a typical mentality to play in England.

But they will miss [Pavel] Nedved because he is a player with the highest work-rate in their team."

Nedved is suspended, a fate that Wenger would have wished upon a number of his teammates including the strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Trezeguet, "the snake, who is very quiet, then suddenly kills you".

Arsenal's tactics will be to take the visitors by storm.

With or without any Englishmen in the side . . . neither Sol Campbell nor Ashley Cole are likely to be fit . . . the manager wants an English approach.

"In England we always start strong. Your fans do not expect you to come out and play cards for the first half an hour."

Juve and Capello may be favourites, but they do not hold all the aces.