Wenger plea to Sven

Arsene Wenger will approach Sven-Goran Eriksson and his French counterpart Jacques Santini to ask for their help in keeping alive Arsenal's bid for the Treble.

The Arsenal manager is set to lose a large amount of his squad when Eriksson selects his players for the friendly match in Sweden on 31 March while Santini's team have a game in Rotterdam against Holland on the same night.

Just three days later, Arsenal meet Manchester United in an FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park and the following Tuesday they face Chelsea in the second leg of a Champions League quarter-final.

Wenger said today: "I will speak to both of them and I hope they will be understanding. Every manager in my position would be worried.

"What I would like to say to the national managers is, 'Don't take all these players who are involved in Champions League and other big games. Try other players who are not involved.'

"But I can't do anything about it because the rules are not on our side. All I can ask for is an understanding attitude." Wenger faces losing Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Robert Pires, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Fredrik Ljungberg for the England and France matches.