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Champions League action returns to the Emirates Stadium tomorrow evening with Arsenal facing a blockbuster clash with last year’s winners, Bayern Munich.
The Bavarians, now under the control of Pep Guardiola, beat the Gunners 3-1 in London last year, and despite a 2-0 loss in Germany, progressed to the quarter finals thanks to away goals.
Wenger’s men will be looking for revenge, but they will face a tough challenge, Bayern have not lost a Bundesliga fixture all season, conceding just nine goals in the process.
Arsene Wenger used the club’s weekend FA Cup game with Liverpool as an opportunity to rest a number of his first-team names, with six players taking a much needed rest.
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With changes expected from the team that featured on Sunday, we should see a much improved starting line-up for tomorrow night’s fixture. Here’s how Arsenal should line-up against Bayern Munich.
Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczesny
Wojciech Szczesny should retake his place in goal, despite his understudy Fabianski’s excellent display during the club’s win over Liverpool at the weekend. The Arsenal number one has been exceptional this campaign and he currently leads the Premier League goalkeeping charts with a total of 12 clean sheets to his name. In Europe he has replicated this form, earning nine Squawka ‘best awards’ and a Performance Score of 141 points. Szczesny has improved considerably since last campaign and he will prove vital if the club wish to prevent the goal scoring threat posed by Munich.
Right-Back: Bacary Sagna
Bacary Sagna will be relieved compatriot Frank Ribery is injured for this fixture. The defender has earned himself praise this season, with some even suggesting he is the best right-back in the Premier League. The 31-year-old featured five times in Europe before Christmas, missing the Gunners’ final group stage defeat to Italian outfit Napoli. During this time he has won 67% of his tackles, 100% of his take ons and 70% of his headed duels. He will have his hands full against Bayern and it’s more than likely that he will spend the majority of the match in Arsenal’s half of the pitch. His average number of Defensive Actions (3) should be blown out of the water during this fixture.
Centre-Back: Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker has been key in Arsenal’s fantastic start to the season and, after two years at the club, the German is finally living up to his reputation as a world class defender. He has been a dominant force in the Champions League this term – featuring in all six of the club’s group fixtures – establishing himself as one of the Gunners’ most consistent performers. At this stage of the competition he has won an impressive 60% of his attempted tackles and 77% of his headed duels, whilst averaging a 92% pass accuracy. His form has provided considerable security at the centre of the back-four and this, alongside his experience, will be imperative against Bayern. He knows all about his international teammates Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos and company which could be vital to the London outfit’s hopes of victory.
Centre-Back: Laurent Koscielny
Laurent Koscielny’s defensive record when playing alongside Per Mertesacker is truly outstanding. Before Arsenal’s 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool at the beginning of February, the club had managed 31 matches unbeaten – a record stemming back to January 2012. The duo have also played a key a role in Arsenal’s record of conceding just twice in their last 14 home matches. Wenger will look to Koscielny and Mertesacker for strength and unity against Munich’s lethal attack – Guardiola’s side have recorded 20 goals in their last six matches in all competitions. The Frenchman is currently the club’s top performer in Europe, registering a Squawka Performance Score of 212 points.
Left-Back: Kieran Gibbs
Kieran Gibbs has been rotated with Nacho Monreal in the left-back role this season but the Englishman has featured most often in the Champions League, playing five out of six group stage fixtures. With a spot in Roy Hodgson’s World Cup a huge possibility, this match will provide the perfect opportunity for the 24-year-old to prove himself as a top class full-back. So far in Europe, he has averaged 11 Defensive Actions per match – more than any other Arsenal player – his contribution will be vital if the Gunners wish to quell the threat of Bayern’s wide men, Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller.
Defensive-Midfield: Mathieu Flamini
Flamini should keep his place in the midfield for this encounter, the 29-year-old has been a revelation for Arsenal since his return to London. His defensive attributes will be important considering the threat that will be posed by Mario Gotze and Toni Kroos. He has won 55% of his attempted tackles in Europe this season, whilst assisting the back-four five times a match on average.
Defensive Midfield: Jack Wilshere
With Mikel Arteta suspended, Wilshere is likely to play a deeper midfield position alongside Flamini. After being rested at the weekend he will be deployed in a more reserved role to usual, helping the Frenchman to disrupt Bayern’s stream of possession. He showed his match winning credentials against French outfit Marseille in the last phase of the competition – scoring twice to guarantee three points for the Gunners – and having played just 249 minutes of Champions League action this season his Squawka Performance Score of 94 points is by no means bad at all.
Left-Attacking Midfield: Tomas Rosicky
Tomas Rosicky could be preferred to Spaniard Santi Cazorla simply due to his fantastic work-rate. The Czech international is Arsenal’s big game player and I would certainly expect him to start in a fixture as important as this. He will move up and down the pitch all match, helping to track Bayern’s attack midfield players. Rosicky has played five times in Europe this season, but has been subbed off on every occasion. Expect Cazorla to make a second half appearance in place of the 33-year-old.
Central-Attacking Midfield: Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil has started to show signs of improvement in the bigger matches this season and Bayern will provide him with his greatest challenge yet. He has already proved himself as Arsenal’s most creative Champions League contributor having made 16 key passes in total – assisting two goals. He also scored with a memorable strike against Napoli in the home fixture of the group stages. This is the perfect opportunity to show exactly why is worth the £42.5 million that the club paid for him in the summer. He will need to be magnificent if Arsenal wish to overcome their opposition.
Right-Attacking Midfield: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The Ox has excelled since returning from injury just a few weeks ago and against Liverpool at the weekend he put in a Man-of-the-Match performance, scoring the club’s first and assisting the second. Although he has experienced limited game time in Europe this campaign he could the club’s main attacking outlet as a result of his power and speed. The Gunners will look to do the majority of their damage on the counter-attack and during these moves Chamberlain will be vital. Up against David Alaba he faces arguably the best left-back in world football right now. This will be an exciting challenge for the Englishman.
Striker: Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud should spear the Arsenal attack despite personal problems surfacing in the media throughout recent days. The Frenchman will have a tough task playing against a defence that has conceded on just nine occasions in the Bundesliga. Wenger has few alternatives to Giroud considering injury troubles and a general lack of squad depth. He will be hoping the ex-Montpellier man can add to his tally of two European goals for the season.
