Sebastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny are set to partner each other in central defence while Moroccan Marouane Chamakh will lead the attack.
"It's a big test for the new signings. We can't afford a period where they have to adapt," Wenger told reporters.
"But Squillaci's 30 and Chamakh has already shown what an important player he can be.
"Koscielny's the only one who's had no time to think about the switch to Champions League football. But he's doing well so far."
Wenger is particularly pleased with Chamakh.
"He has done very well. I believe he has a love for the physical game, a love for challenges. He loves contact and is good in the air.
"Chamakh is an intelligent player as well and he has adapted quickly because he is a real team player. He likes to work for the team, so even if he misses one or two things, he does so much that overall his contribution is very high."
And Wenger is adament that he has full faith in his team to improve on last year’s performance after being knocked out by Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
"What happened last season was an accident, and we have to show that this year.
"Barcelona were better than us over the two games. We have to come back and show we can compete with them."
By Luke Nicholls
Interact: Twitter * Facebook *Forums
