Arsenal v Dinamo Kiev: William Gallas will return to the Arsenal squad for tomorrow's Champions League clash with Dinamo Kiev at Emirates Stadium, but has been replaced as captain by Cesc Fabregas.

The controversial defender was axed from the trip to Manchester City on Saturday, which Arsene Wenger's men lost 3-0 as their Premier League title hopes were dealt another blow, after publicly making critical remarks about the team and questioning their fighting spirit.

However, Wenger - who named goalkeeper Manuel Almunia his captain at Eastlands - maintained former Chelsea defender Gallas, 31, still had a future at the club.

Although the Arsenal manager refused to discuss the reasons behind the player's absence, Wenger confirmed Gallas would be reinstated, but not in a leadership role tomorrow.

"William will play against Kiev, but the captain of the team will be Fabregas," said the Arsenal boss. "I do not think I have to especially explain why I make the decisions, but it is a permanent thing."

He said: "When you do not win, nobody jumps off the roof, but the frustration does kick in. It is a good opportunity now for us to show we have strength and ability — you know how it works, you go from fantastic to a catastrophe, but real life is somewhere in between."

Wenger insisted: "So even if we are at the moment frustrated, it is not all doom and gloom. We have a strong belief in our ability and we have a good opportunity to show we care about the club and that we can qualify tomorrow."

The 21-year-old Fabregas has said the role si "a big responsibility" but is relishing the chance to lead his side out of their current slump.

He told Arsenal.com: "It is a great honour for me to captain one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"It is a proud moment. I know it's a big responsibility but together with my team-mates, I know we have the spirit and commitment to get back to winning ways and fulfil our potential."

Wenger hopes the responsibility will not be too heavy for Fabregas, calling for "shared leadership".

"A successful team has a shared leadership inside the dressing room and he will be one of the leaders but not the only one," Wenger said. "It is very important that we share that leadership inside the dressing room."