Man United can make Deportivo pay for gamble: Wenger

Arsene Wenger believes Deportivo Coruna could live to regret what he saw as a calculated gamble in the Champions League this week.

Deportivo fielded a weakened team and lost to Bayer Leverkusen in their final second phase game on Wednesday, a result which knocked Wenger's Arsenal out of the competition and handed the Germans top spot in the group.

The Spanish team, as runners-up, were pitted against group A winners Manchester United in Friday's quarter-final draw.

"Deportivo are a very good side, and I think they looked at the draw and thought they could do well," Wenger told reporters at the club's training ground on Friday.

"They have beaten United twice already this season (in the Champions League first phase), and they think they can do it again.

"But I would give United the advantage because they are highly focused on the Champions League this season.

"I would not make Deportivo bigger than Real Madrid, or a team that you can say 'no matter what, they are going to win the European Cup'."

Wenger, whose side lost 1-0 to an under-strength Juventus team on Wednesday, is unhappy with the format of the Champions League, whereby teams that finish top of their groups know they will be pitted against a runner-up from another group.

"It means that people are calculating what can happen or who they will play, and I think that calculation like that goes against football," he said.

"In my opinion, it should be an open draw with everyone in together."

UPSET

Wenger is still upset by Deportivo's decision to field a weakened side on Wednesday, safe in the knowledge that they had qualified for the last eight.

If Deportivo had earned at least a point against Leverkusen, Arsenal would have gone through if they had avoided defeat against Juventus, who had already been eliminated.

"It was their right to play who they wanted," Wenger said of Deportivo. "But you must also try to have a go. Juventus rested some players but they played hard.

"It is a little bit unfair on Deportivo, because the competition is organised the way it is. But we had someone at the Deportivo-Leverkusen game, and he told us after 10 minutes that we should not hope for anything that night.

"Bayer could have scored four or five in the first 20 minutes, so we knew early on that there was nothing to play for as far as we were concerned. The players knew that, it was a weird experience and not one I want to repeat.

"Football should always be encouraged, unless you are cheating the people who come to watch."

Arsenal must now concentrate on the English premier league title race and the FA Cup. The consolation is that their main championship rivals, United and Liverpool, remain in the Champions League and could even meet in the semifinals.

"Of course, the more games they have the better for us," said Wenger, whose players face Newcastle United in an FA Cup quarter-final replay on Saturday.

"Our fixture list was looking nearly impossible, because we had so many games," he added.

"We can help ourselves get over the disappointment by focusing on the championship and the FA Cup.

"I believe we can win the European Cup, and I believe we will win it in my time at the club. We have that strong belief."