Three Bayern players who could torment Arsenal
With a record of 19 wins, two draws, and zero losses for the Bundesliga season, it seems this Bayern Munich team under Pep Guardiola is unbeatable. Throw in the fact that they’ve conceded just nine goals in their 21 games, and it seems they’re almost impenetrable too. But as Arsenal head into their clash with the European champions, they’ll do so confidently, knowing that they’ve both scored against and beaten them already.
The knockout round draw has given the Gunners a chance at instant revenge after they bowed out of last season’s competition to their upcoming opponents only on away goals, having beaten them 2-0 at the Allianz Arena in the second leg, a result that failed to overturn the 3-1 loss suffered at Emirates Stadium.
They’ll no doubt be fired up even more for this tie following their sweet taste of revenge over the weekend, as they beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup, getting the Reds back after they mauled them 5-1 at Anfield a little over a week ago. They’ll also take heart from the fact that Bayern lost their last Champions League fixture – 3-2 at home to Manchester City.
But Bayern have reason to be fired up for this too. After all, even though they progressed in the competition at Arsenal’s expense last season, they did suffer defeat — and in front of their own fans, no less. And then there’s the aforementioned fact that they lost their last fixture in this season’s competition — again at home. They may be away in the first leg, but a victory to right a few wrongs is still the objective.
<The 4-0 weekend victory over Freiburg would’ve no doubt kept morale high, but it would’ve done little to help prepare them for the kind of threat Arsenal are quite likely to pose. Another positive, though, is that the game afforded Guardiola the opportunity to rest a few key players. That in mind, here are three that could wreak havoc for the Gunners at Emirates Stadium:
1. Manuel Neuer
Europe’s best ‘keeper and Bayern’s best player this season, according to Squawka’s Performance Score (886 points), Neuer has done well this season to help his team to their impressive defensive record. He has kept 13 clean sheets in his 21 league games, but few would be more important than the ones he could claim in this tie.
He is considered to be a player who could hinder Arsenal’s progression to the next round because of how steady a ‘keeper he is and how unsteady in front of goal lone striker Olivier Giroud has been for a few months now.
With an average of 62% possession per game, Bayern, together with Barcelona, see the most of the ball in the competition. That said, the midfield battle will be difficult for the Gunners to win. Chances, then, would need to be taken as and when they come. Giroud, the man chiefly responsible for putting these chances away, as a result of being overworked as the club’s only recognised senior striker, has struggled to find the net in recent months.
Three goals in his last 15 games in all competitions, a run that includes a seven-game drought as well as the current four-game drought he is enduring, tells a bleak story. The Gunners’ midfield will look to provide for him as much as they can, and he may end up with one or two decent chances, but with him lacking in confidence and Neuer in good form, the latter will fancy his chances of keeping the former out, thus forcing the Gunners to try and find their goals via another route.