Arsene Wenger today claimed the TV scheduling of Sunday's FA Cup clash with Burnley could ruin Arsenal's chances of Champions League glory.

The Gunners had originally asked the Football Association to let them play on Saturday but the match was moved back 24 hours so it could be shown live at the request of Setanta Sports.

Arsenal face Roma on Wednesday 1-0 up after the first leg. The Italians have been granted an extra 24 hours to prepare and Wenger believes the top clubs in England are paying the price of the big-money TV deals of recent seasons.

ITV will screen Chelsea's lunchtime game at Coventry and Manchester United's evening kick-off at Fulham on Saturday. Setanta has chosen to show Everton's clash with Blackburn and the Arsenal game on Sunday.

Wenger said: "It is not ideal. Let's be frank. We asked to play on Saturday and we got an answer 'you can play on Sunday'. We asked the FA to play on Saturday because Roma will play on that day when usually they play on Sunday. They moved their game back because every single knock you get or every problem is difficult to sort out in three days.

"Because we play away as well, we would have loved one day more. In this situation, for example, it is very difficult because the FA is not the master of the fixtures. It is the television that is the master of the fixtures and they decide, which I can understand because they pay a lot of money.

"The problem is the package we sell, because it doesn't give us any freedom any more to get the fixtures when we would like to have them. This is maybe somewhere we pay the price for the money we want."

Despite the setback, Wenger vowed to field as strong a side as possible against Burnley and will be boosted by the return of Theo Walcott, William Gallas and Eduardo from injury.

Walcott has been out since November with a shoulder injury, while Eduardo and Gallas have recovered from hamstring and thigh problems respectively.

Aaron Ramsey is also likely to feature and has targeted cup revenge after the Championship side humbled Arsenal earlier this season.

The 18-year-old midfielder was part of a youthful Gunners side that lost 2-0 at Turf Moor in the fifth round of the Carling Cup last December.

He said: “We are at home again against Burnley and we know all about them after they knocked us out of the League Cup. I've watched them a few times this season and they are doing really well.

They are not just a cup team, they've done well in the League as well so they will come to Emirates full of confidence.

“But if we can repeat our performance against Cardiff in the previous round, we will come through it to reach the next round.”

With key players returning and the gap to fourth-place Aston Villa cut to three points, the momentum appears to be firmly with the Gunners in the race for Champions League football.

Wenger said: “We want to play with the best and therefore we want to qualify. I believe that you cannot envisage what will happen if it doesn't work. You give your best and make sure it works.

We will give our best and it will work.
“It is down to our performances.

I believe in our strengths, motivation and quality and that's why I am confident we will do it. It is a marathon season for Aston Villa and that's why I believe the top quality is consistency.”

Captain Cesc Fabregas is still two weeks away from a return and the Spaniard was quoted as saying he would consider his future at the club should Wenger leave at the end of his contract in 2011.

Although the Gunners boss insists he is firmly committed to Arsenal's cause, he added: “I hope his future will last longer than mine because I think he can still be here in ten years.”