Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor insists their Champions League bid will not be derailed by the absence of Manuel Almunia and William Gallas, both of whom were injured in last night's 1-1 draw at Villarreal.

The inexperienced duo of Johan Djourou and Lukasz Fabianski plugged the gaps at Estadio El Madrigal and are now likely to be thrust into several high-profile matches.

Adebayor, who scored Arsenal's equaliser, said: "Djourou can play in defence and Lukasz had a good game, too, so we just have to trust them.

"They have a chance to play now and we know how good they are, so they can do the job."

The result puts Arsenal in the driving seat ahead of next week's second leg and Adebayor said: "I was proud of the goal but I'll be prouder if we go through."