• Champions League

Wenger hopes for 'strange' Champions League progress

Arsene Wenger believes something "strange" will have to happen if Arsenal are to break the Champions League stranglehold that Europe's limited elite currently possess.

The Champions League is the only competition missing from Wenger's list of achievements, yet he admits it will be more difficult than ever to seal victory with Arsenal after suggesting they are not among the favourites to lift the trophy in Berlin next May.

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The Frenchman says only four clubs stand out - Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona - as favourites to win the tournament, something of a regular occurrence.

"Maybe it was more open 15 years ago than it is today," Wenger said. "The concentration of the big players in a short number of clubs is much more than it was before.

"The Champions League is much predictable today. It's harder to win it. If you make a poll tomorrow and say to people; 'Give me four clubs who will win the Champions League?' Then 80 or 90 percent will say these four clubs [Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea].

"I don't think that we are one of the four who will be favourites to win it, but football is strange, and not always predictable. Let's first qualify from the group stage and see.

"I would say this season is that this team has huge potential and it has to come out. At the moment I am more worried about that."

Arsenal host Galatasaray at the Emirates on Wednesday and are looking to bounce back from their opening night defeat away to Borussia Dortmund.

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