The contrasting seasons of Arsenal and Liverpool will be encapsulated in a seven-day period early next month when they meet three times in the Champions League and Barclays Premier League. Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, and Rafael Benítez, his Anfield counterpart, have differing reasons for wanting to win Europe’s biggest prize, but Wenger claimed last night to be unconcerned about progressing in the Champions League.

While Benítez may need to win the competition simply to be involved next season, the Arsenal manager’s focus is on winning the league title, though he believes that the English clubs’ pairing in the Champions League quarter-finals is the toughest after yesterday’s draw in Nyon, Switzerland.

The teams meet in a significant league match sandwiched between the European ties, the first of which is at the Emirates Stadium. The winners will play Chelsea in the semi-finals, provided Avram Grant’s side overcome Fenerbahçe. “At the moment I am quite indifferent to the Champions League as I want us to take off again in the league now and beat Middlesbrough \,” Wenger said.

Security will be tightened when Manchester United play AS Roma after violence marred their meeting last season.

While there was optimism that one of England’s top teams will reach the final for a fourth consecutive season, Uefa was forced to deny a rumour that the draw had been fixed. Conspiracy theorists were drawn to a correct prediction of the ties posted on a newspaper website 90 minutes before the balls came out of the bowl yesterday.

European football’s governing body described suggestions of the draw being fixed as “ridiculous” and “impossible”. The Liverpool Echo, though, said that it was virtually impossible that the time of the forum posting on its website could have been tampered with. It added that the prediction was seen by independent witnesses before noon in England.

The person who made the prediction has posted 3,000 in the past year. “It is quite remarkable. We are investigating the circumstances surrounding this posting,” Rich Ellis, the senior press officer for Trinity Mirror, which owns the Echo, said.

Wenger would have preferred to have avoided an English team, but he believes that Arsenal’s victory away to AC Milan in the previous round justifies his confidence that they can defeat Liverpool. Benítez’s side have been canny opponents in reaching two of the past three finals but Wenger said: “Their record doesn’t bother us at all. I don’t know the impact the first match will have on the others, but it’s important to start well. It is challenging and interesting. Our belief is very strong. I am confident my side will show how strong we are.”

Wenger is more concerned with returning to form against Middlesbrough after three consecutive league draws. Arsenal’s hopes of winning the title could be shaped by matches against Chelsea a week tomorrow and Manchester United just after the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. “This period is very important,” Wenger said. “The focus is on the championship because that will help us to go through to the Champions League.”

While Arsenal curse their luck, Chelsea were as content as can be, having been paired with Fenerbahçe, the Turkish side, though Grant, the first-team coach, said: “They played well in the group stage and beat everyone at home.”