Arsene Wenger has admitted Sunday’s Old Trafford showdown has become Arsenal’s £30million Euro lottery ticket.

The Gunners boss is desperate to avoid yet another Champions League play-off but fears defeat will open the door for Manchester United.

Wenger has played the high-risk stakes of a play-off seven times in the last nine seasons, and won through to the lucrative Group stage every time.

But Wenger admits that having to deal with the “tension” of a play-off is overwhelming and says both clubs are desperate to finish in the top three to get an automatic Champions League spot.

Arsenal have had some recent near misses as they just squeezed past Besiktas and Udinese and Wenger claims the play-off is a major distraction at the start of the Premier League campaign.

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This year Wenger admits that Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez will miss the play-off because he needs a break after the Copa America which does not finish until July 4.

Wenger said: “It’s very important for your season preparations to not have that kind of stress over your head from the first day you start again, it’s vital. The pressure and the consequences of not qualifying are massive.

“We know what it means and we know it’s always tricky because you can play against teams who are in the middle of their championship when you are in preparation. The consequences are always dramatic if you don’t qualify.

“What is even more important now is that the international competitions force you most of the time to start the new season without your players.

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“You cannot give them a long enough rest when they have played international games. You know that in England we have no break in the winter. That’s sometimes difficult to deal with.

"They have to come back a bit earlier - a few days perhaps, sometimes a week. Especially it means less holidays for the international players.

“Last year, for example, we played against Besiktas without Mesut Ozil and Per Mertesacker, because they were on their holidays.

“But at the moment we are focused on finishing as high as we can and finishing the season well. After that we will deal with the consequences.

“We know we are in the top four. We know we can do better. So let’s go for it.”

The best pictures from Manchester United 1-2 Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-final

The Champions League Group stage guarantees a £30m pay day but the tension - both mental and physical - has been gruelling for Arsenal in recent seasons.

Back in August 2011, they squeezed through after a red-hot play-off at Udinese when Wojciech Szczesny saved a penalty in Italy, but Arsenal paid a heavy price four days later when they were thrashed 8-2 at Old Trafford.

Wenger admits the uncertainty of a play-off affects everything from pre-season training, transfer business and preparation for the whole campaign.

“That (Udinese) was the most stressful because you saw afterwards they had a very strong team. Also it was so hot over there,” said Wenger.

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“Then we had to go to Old Trafford with exactly the same focus. You have more chance to lose the next game than to win it so sometimes you pay the price in the Premier League.

“It can be more difficult to bring players in. They think that most of the time you’re playing in the Champions League but you’re not sure. The only thing we can say is that statistically we have always done it.”

Arsenal had been in good form until their defeat to Swansea on Monday night while United can still leapfrog them despite Louis Van Gaal’s poor recent run, which ended with victory at Crystal Palace last weekend.

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Wenger says he does not know Van Gaal particularly well but admires the job the Dutchman has done at Old Trafford.

However, Wenger issued a “no comment” when asked whether the decision to sell another Dutchman, Robin van Persie , now looks better business than in 2012.

Van Persie helped United win the title in his first season but is now a bit-part player.

Wenger added: “He (Van Gaal) has done well. I know him. Not well. You only know someone when you live with them every day. We all survive with our own character and personality. You can only be who you are.

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“You have to know the players and sometimes it takes a little time to find the balance. It’s not only the quality of the individuals. You have to know how well they marry together.

“Sometimes players go through confidence problems for a while but Manchester United have quality players.

“We can mathematically put a distance between them and us in the top four and basically secure the top three.

“Also, we can make a symbolic statement because we won over there in the FA Cup. To reproduce that would be psychologically important.”

Arsenal opponents in Champions League play-off games. The Gunners have won the lot

06/07 Dinamo Zagreb – 5-1 agg

Croatian champions easily beaten with Cesc Fabregas’s first-leg double in Zagreb doing the damage.

07/08 Sparta Prague – 5-0 agg

Fabregas again proves crucial by scoring in both legs while Tomas Rosicky strikesagainst against his former club.

08/09 FC Twente – 6-0 agg

Arsenal cruise through with William Gallas scoring in both legs against the Belgian outfit managed by Steve McClaren.

09/10 Celtic – 5-1 agg

Arsenal get the job done with a 2-0 win at Celtic Park in the first leg as a stroke of luck sees a Fabregas free-kick go in off Gallas’s back.

11/12 Udinese – 3-1 agg

Wojciech Szczesny saves a penalty in Italy with the Gunners only 2-1 in front on aggregate before Theo Walcott seals win.

13/14 Fenerbahce – 5-0 agg

Aaron Ramsey scores twice in the second leg to add to his goal in Turkey as Arsene Wenger’s side ease through.

14/15 Besiktas – 1-0 agg

The play-off brings Turkish opposition again but this time the Gunners only scrape through thanks to Alexis Sanchez’s second-leg strike.