London  - Arsene Wenger admitted on Friday that he is less than impressed by the new Wembley Stadium and its pitch, where his Arsenal side face Chelsea in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final.

Arsenal have not played at Wembley since it re-opened two years ago, but Wenger has seen little on his visits as a spectator to enthuse him.

"I loved the old Wembley, and I was not too impressed by the new Wembley," he said.

"I was only there was as a spectator, at the first FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United (in 2007).

"Maybe I will have a completely different impression this time. I was only a spectator - I was not behind the scenes in the stadium or on the pitch.

"Historically as a boy, we always played on bad grounds, so the dream of everybody was to play on the marvellous grass and pitch of Wembley.

"When I heard they had problems with the pitch, that was a big disappointment because you always felt you wanted to play at Wembley as there was something special on the pitch there.

"If that is not there any more, then it is a little bit disappointing.

"I expect a good pitch, but the noises I get are not as convincing as the former pitch. The former pitch was really something special." (dpa)