Robert Pires is set to make a comeback for Arsenal in Tuesday night's Champions League clash at home to Auxerre.

The Frenchman, last season's Professional Football Association and Football Writers' Association player of the year, has been out for six months following a knee ligament operation, but has been included in Arsene Wenger's squad.

Dennis Bergkamp and Francis Jeffers are both ruled out, along with Ray Parlour, Martin Keown and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, while there are also slight doubts about skipper Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Sol Campbell.

Wenger has promised a "strong reaction" from his Arsenal players after admitting they are still "shocked, hurt and angry" at losing their unbeaten record.

The Gunners face Auxerre, aiming to bounce back from Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Everton - which ended their record 30-game unbeaten run in the Premiership.

"I think you will be surprised by my team's reaction," said Wenger. "They will react strongly on Tuesday. It was disappointing to lose the game on Saturday but I look back and think that we didn't lose a game for seven and a half months, and that deserves to be recognised and rewarded - I am proud of my team. I think it can strengthen our desire to bounce back and be even stronger. Our foot has slipped off the accelerator but we have not come to a full stop. It is not like a car hitting a tree at 160 mph. It was a big disappointment and the players are shocked, hurt and angry, but the main concern is that we are winning trophies at the end of the season, and I still firmly believe we can go all the way in this competition. We want to show we are the strongest team in the Premier League and we want to do well in the Champions League."

Wenger insisted he had no regrets about boldly claiming at the start of the season that his team could go through the entire campaign unbeaten.

"I said we were capable of not losing a game all season, and I don't regret that at all," said Wenger. "It was not meant to be arrogant, I just wanted to set a target for a team who are very ambitious and wants to do better every time. We lost three games last year and as a manager I wanted to better. To do better means to lose less than that, so that is still our target."

Auxerre are boosted by the return from injury of strikers Djibril Cisse, Olivier Kapo and Khalilou Fadiga.

Teams:
Arsenal (probable): Seaman, Lauren, Cygan, Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg, Vieira, Gilberto, Wiltord, Kanu, Henry.

Auxerre (probable): Cool, Radet, Boumsong, Mexes, Jaures, Tainio, Faye, Lachuer, Cisse, Kapo, Fadiga.

Referee: Domenico Messina (Italy)