The Gunners were on Friday drawn against McClaren's new employers, FC Twente, in the third qualifying round of the competition.

Liverpool must see off Belgians Standard Liege in the ties on August 12/13 and 26/27, while if Rangers beat FBK Kaunas in the second round they will take on Aalborg or Modrica.

While Twente will start as massive underdogs against the north London giants, Wenger believes it is the perfect chance for McClaren to begin rebuilding his reputation after a disastrous spell in charge of England.

He said: "He is not at the end of his career, he is in the middle of his career and I believe it is a good opportunity for him to show his quality.

"He has had unfair criticism - but unfair criticism stops quickly if you get good results. I think that kind of opinion changes quickly.

"It was a big disappointment in the country (not qualifying for Euro 2008). You get a lot of hard criticism in England and some managers have problems recovering from that."

Twente will not be able to play the home leg in Enschede because their stadium is being renovated and does not meet UEFA requirements. The match will be switched to Arnhem.

McClaren said: "As soon as I joined Twente I knew we had the draw coming up, and strangely I expected one of the English teams. I think fate deals you certain cards and it has dealt us this draw.

"Of all the teams we could have had, that is one of the toughest."

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez expressed satisfaction with his side's draw as the Reds begin the hunt to reach a third final in five seasons.

He said: "People may say it is a kind draw for us but we will treat them with respect. We know some things about their team already but we will now watch more videos and get reports from our scouts before the first game.

"Of course we know about Oguchi Onyewu because he spent some time with Newcastle. Axel Witsel is a good young player and Wilfried Dalmat is probably the best player in their team.

"Alexandre Da Silva is a good defender as well, so we know they will not be easy opposition for us. Overall though it is a good draw and we are happy."

Rangers manager Walter Smith is refusing to tempt fate by discussing potential opponents for the third qualifying round.

The Light Blues' progression in the tournament looks far less secure after being held to a goalless draw at home by Kaunas on Wednesday night.

Smith said: "I don't want to comment too much on the draw - we have to get there first.

"We just have to wait and see whether we are cut out to get there. I don't think it's right to comment when you're not through to the next round."