LONDON - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger accepts "the next 10 days will define our season".
The Gunners head into the first leg of Wednesday night's Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool on the back of a morale-boosting 3-2 victory at Bolton, where they had Abou Diaby sent off in the first half but came back from 2-0 down.
It was a first win in six Barclays Premier League matches and kept alive Arsenal's slim hopes of forcing themselves back into the title race.
This is set to be a make-or-break month for the Gunners, who play Liverpool three times in the space of a week - with their league encounter sandwiched between two European ties - and then head to Old Trafford to face off against leaders Manchester United on April 13.
By then Wenger will know whether his men's Champions League ambitions remain intact or if they face the prospect of having to claw back what is currently a six-point deficit on the Red Devils to avoid another barren campaign.
"It will be the highest challenge for me," declared the Arsenal boss.
"The next 10 days will define our season because I strongly believe that we are in the championship race.
"Our next two games in the championship are Liverpool and United and then, on top of that, we have two Champions League games so this next period is vital."
Wenger is likely to recall leading scorer Emmanuel Adebayor to the starting XI tomorrow night, having left the Togo frontman on the bench at Bolton.
The manner of the superb comeback has re-ignited confidence within the Gunners' camp following a difficult spell in the fall-out from the broken leg suffered by striker Eduardo da Silva at Birmingham on February 23.
"When you are two down, with 10 men and haven't won for five games and you ask the team to win the game, they must have some special belief and mental strength to go and do it," said Wenger.
"What I have learned is that when our backs are to the wall, they have extraordinary resources."
Despite European ties between two English clubs - most notably Liverpool and Chelsea - in recent seasons being hardly the most attractive of encounters, Wenger fully expects an exciting clash of styles over the two legs.
He said: "We are in a much stronger position now than before the weekend, but so are Liverpool. These are two teams who have no excuse to be low on confidence - that is why it will be an outstanding game to watch.
"We are on the train and we want to stay on it, but somebody has to go out.
"Liverpool will make it tight and play on the break more than in the championship.
"Every goal is so vital - the concentration is a bit higher, the intensity is higher. I expect it to be a bit different to the Premier League."
Wenger insisted: "It is important for it to be a spectacle.
"Every game is something to enjoy and the English Premier League now has a big reputation for that all over the world.
"You have to be faithful to that and for the game to be at the level they expect.
"Liverpool and ourselves play at a high pace so it should be an exciting game.
"It is down to the teams who grab the chances they create. That is what makes the difference in the end.
"You have to keep the strengths of the other team quiet and at the moment the people who are finishing the most in their team are [Steven] Gerrard and [Fernando] Torres through the middle. We have to keep them quiet."
However, the Arsenal manager accepts, given how well the two sides know each other, there are likely to be few "tactical surprises" available to either coach.
"The surprise will come with the individual quality of the players and the combined talents of the teams," said Wenger.
Arsenal booked their place in the last eight with a superb victory over holders AC Milan, winning 2-0 in the San Siro.
To progress further towards Moscow, the Gunners must also dispose of the 2007 runners-up.
Wenger, who guided his men to the final two seasons ago, insisted: "We have the belief we can beat anybody in any competition. It doesn't matter if it is Liverpool or anyone else.
The Arsenal manager added: "Europe is all about being in a good shape on the day.
"There are always tactics involved, but the key is the form and spirit of the team.
"We have the belief and the desire to win the Champions League, but now it is down to performances on the day."
Wenger, meanwhile, rejected suggestions Italian club Juventus were set to move for out-of-contract midfielder Mathieu Flamini.
The Arsenal manager said: "No, that is not true. Juventus have called me and told me they are not interested in Mathieu Flamini."
