Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists cash is not the biggest incentive for his team in their Champions League play-off tie with Besiktas.

The Gunners go to Turkey for tonight's first-leg clash with confidence high after a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in their Premier League opener a week after beating defending champs Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield.

If Wenger guides his team to the Group Stages for the 17th consecutive season it will guarantee them at least £7million in prize money.

During the summer the London club signed Chilean Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona in a £30million deal.

Wenger said: Financially, Besiktas is a big game but that's not the most important thing. It doesn't affect too much my transfer policy. We want to compete at the top level and fight with the best in Europe. That's the point of this competition for us, not the financial consequences.

"It's important to want to play against the best."

The Frenchman added that he expects "six or seven" teams to be involved in the fight for this season's Barclays Premier League title.