Arsene Wenger ready to battle for job as Arsenal face uphill battle

Arsene Wenger insists he's still prepared to battle for his job at Arsenal and is determined as ever to turn things around.

Wenger's position at Emirates Stadium is under increasing pressure following successive 3-0 defeats to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup Final and Premier League.

The Frenchman has over one year left on his contract, but there is increasing speculation that the board will finally end their relationship with the coach who has been at the helm since 1996.

But Wenger said: "I’m always ready for a fight. I’m of course very disappointed but I’ve experienced these situations before.

"Do I feel I can get Arsenal out of this rut? Yes of course. I’ve faced difficult situations in my life and it helps to deal with that.

"Of course my desire is as strong as it ever was. I have the experience and desire to change things, to continue to help the team."

Arsenal's latest defeat to Manchester City means they are 10 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, who occupy the last of the Champions League qualifying positions for next season's competition.

Winning the Europa League is now their best hope of playing in Europe's premier club competition in 2018-19.

They face the first leg of their last 16 tie against an in-form AC Milan side at the San Siro on Thursday, just four days after playing at Brighton.

But Wenger surprisingly isn't prepared to admit he's prioritising the Europa League over the Premier League just yet.

He added: "I think we are in a situation where we first have to try to win the next game rather than make these calculations.

"The game after always has an input on team selection, yes, but you always have that in your mind when you play so many games one after another."

Wenger is unsure whether Jack Wilshere, who missed the Manchester City match with an ankle injury, will face Brighton.

"I don’t know because he has not trained Thursday," he said. “We’ll see how well he recovers.

"I will have to rest some players who gave a lot (against Manchester City), for sure, because we play a lot."