UEFA Champions League: Match Preview - Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

Jack Wilshere

Arsenal face off against Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League for the second season in a row as they host the reigning champions at the Emirates on Wednesday.

Bayern won 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium last time round, but were made to sweat as Arsenal produced a comeback to win 2-0 in Munich, though the Bavarian side progressed on away goals.

Bayern went on to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the final to end a streak of being beaten finalists in two out of the three previous seasons and are considered heavy favourites for the title again this season, with Pep Guardiola now at the helm.

Head to head – Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

Team News

Arsenal

Arsenal have Thomas Vermaelen out once again as his comeback has now been delayed until the beginning of March from his calf strain, while the Gunners are also still missing Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey. And Abou Diaby, but that’s to be expected by now.

They will most likely be free to make wholesale changes to the side that beat Liverpool in the FA Cup at the weekend, with the likes of Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere set to be restored to the team, but Mikel Arteta will miss out with suspension following his sending off against Napoli in their final group game.

Bayern Munich

Bayern are missing a major player in Franck Ribery, with the French winger having undergone surgery on his buttock and doubtful for the return leg in Munich as well.

Xherdan Shaqiri will miss the chance to make an impression on the first team in his absence after tearing his hamstring in the weekend win over Freiburg, but there is good news in the shape of Bastian Schweinsteiger, who after two substitute appearances, could be ready for a return to the first team.

Predicted Line Ups

Arsenal

There are likely to be a few changes to the Arsenal lineup than what beat Liverpool, with Sagna, Gibbs, Wilshere and Santi Cazorla all likely to return

Wojciech Szczesny will be back between the sticks after Lukasz Fabianski was allowed a run-out, while Wenger’s big decision is whether to recall Olivier Giroud to the starting XI, with his mental state to be assessed after weekend reports of infidelity.

Arsenal – Predicted line up

Bayern Munich

Bayern will make a few changes of their own for this game, with Bastian Schweinsteiger likely to be restored to the starting line-up in the wake of Shaqiri’s unfortunate injury.

Mario Mandzukic, Jerome Boateng and David Alaba are also likely returnees for the Bavarian giants, who will also make a decision over whether to recall Mario Gotze or stick with Toni Kroos.

Bayern Munich – Predicted line up

Recent Form

Arsenal suffered a minor blip as they took just one point from their last two league games, following a defeat at Liverpool with a draw against Manchester United, while a draw with Southampton has ensured that they have just one win in their past four league matches.

Bayern are on the run of a lifetime, having yet to be beaten this season in the league, with only Manchester City having bested them in any competition this season.

The last time they dropped a point at all in the league was at the beginning of October, having now registered 13 straight league wins.

Wilshere’s tackle success rate could help Arsenal unsettle Bayern

Player to Watch

Arsenal – Jack Wilshere

It’s safe to assume a lot of this game will be played in the centre of midfield and Arsenal will need a little bit of bite in there to give Bayern’s composed midfielders something to make life a little more uncomfortable.

Wilshere is that man to unsettle the Germans with his feisty style of play, while he also has the ability in the forward areas to unlock a rigid defensive line that has conceded in just two of their last ten games.

Only Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla have created more chances for Arsenal than Wilshere this season, while his 25 tackles at a win rate of 53% will help compensate for the absences of Ramsey and Arteta.

Muller Chances Created

Bayern Munich – Thomas Muller

Pace and power did the trick for Liverpool against Arsenal ten days prior, so it could be expected that Muller has a major impact on this game as he launches his assault on the Gunners from the right hand side of the pitch, though it’s fair to say he’ll play more as an auxiliary striker than a conventional winger.

Muller is a huge creative outlet for Bayern, with only Franck Ribery creating more than the 37 chances he has made, claiming seven assists in the process.

In addition to having created seven goals, Muller also has eight of his own to show for this season at a conversion rate of 20% and will fancy his chances of adding more against the Gunners.

It’s hard to see Arsenal as favourites for this tie overall, but there is a good chance that they could get a result in this tie at home, with their home form having been rather impressive this season, barring that opening day blip against Aston Villa.

Given that observers have afforded Arsenal very little chance of coming away from this with anything, most Gunners fans would be satisfied to see them hold the reigning champions to a draw and Bayern would also be happy to take a stalemate back to the Allianz Arena next month.

Arsenal 2-2 Bayern Munich