Wenger wants no slip-ups from Arsenal against Celtic

Arsene Wenger has controversially suggested that tonight's Champions League play-off against Celtic at the Emirates, for which the Gunners hold a 2-0 lead from the first leg played in Glasgow last week, is more important than Saturday's Premier League clash with Manchester United.

"Celtic is a more important game for the club than Saturday, by far," said the Frenchman. "Because against Celtic, you cannot catch back. Even if we drop points against Man United, you can always catch back. You still have 35 games to go. If you miss the Celtic game, you have zero. It is a massive game. It is much bigger than Saturday."

Although most observers would raise an eyebrow at the idea that seeing off the Scottish league runners-up from last chance, with a decent away goal lead, somehow trumped the clash with perennial sparring partners United, Wenger is correct in as much that the money to be earned from qualifying for the Champions League group stages - which can be measured in tens of millions of pounds - provides the financial backdrop to all a club's other activities.

Arsenal will be without captain Cesc Fabregas, who picked up a hamstring injury in the weekend's 4-1 defeat of Portsmouth, and Wenger is looking to 18-year-old Aaron Ramsey to step up to the plate and replace the Spanish midfielder. Elsewhere Theo Walcott is still out through injury, and Eduardo is likely to replace Robin van Persie up front. With an eye on Saturday's game, players like Andrei Arshavin and Diaby will probably be rested should the Gunners be comfortable after an hour.

But even if they do qualify for the group stages, Wenger is careful to caution fans against expecting too much from the club, and English teams in general. "We were not given any credit for reaching the semi-finals last season, for two reasons: first of all, English clubs [are expected to reach] the semi-finals, so it doesn’t seem like a major achievement in England any more."

"And two," he added, "we lost in a non-convincing way against Manchester United and that took credit away from us. For me, we knocked good teams out. Villarreal is a very good team. But it’s like that, you have to accept it. Still you never talk about Real Madrid who for five consecutive years have gone out in the last 16. It’s not as easy as people think.” ·