Arsenal and Bayern Munich combined XI

Bayern Munich and Arsenal face each other in their UEFA Champions League group stage game on Wednesday night, in a must-win match for the Gunners. Bayern top group F at the moment with 6 points from 2 games whereas Arsenal sit bottom of the group having failed to open their points tally from as many games as the Bavarian giants.In a surprising turn of events, Arsenal have bottled in their first two fixtures in Europe and now face an uphill task to advance to the knockout stages. Even if the result doesn’t favour the Gunners at home tomorrow, they will still be able to make it to the round of 16 if other outcomes go their way.Arsenal are expected to play fearlessly as suggested by manager Arsene Wenger and will try to register their first win of the group stages, while die Roten will look to show their European supremacy. Wednesday's match in London will be a good opportunity for Arsenal to embark on a reversal of fortunes and on that note, let’s take a look at an Arsenal and Bayern Munich combined XI. The team will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and the selections are presented below.

#1 Goalkeeper

Manuel Neuer has been giving a virtuoso account of himself in between the sticks and has kept 5 clean sheets in 9 appearances for Bayern, whilst averaging 1.11 saves per game and conceding a miserly 0.44 goals per match.

After a shaky start to the season, Petr Cech has found his feet and is the only other contender for the goalkeeper slot alongside Manuel Neuer. Having produced a great performance against Manchester United, Cech also kept a clean sheet in his sides’ victory over Watford last weekend.

The Czech Republic International has 5 clean sheets in 9 appearances as well but makes 2.67 saves per game and concedes an average 0.78 goals per match.

The stats invariably mean that Bayern has a better defence than Arsenal and thus the two keepers go neck and neck to lock down a spot in between the sticks.

This is a tough one, but my pick for the gloves would be Manuel Neuer. The German custodian is probably the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment and makes an immense contribution to Guardiola’s style of play which necessitates the ex-Schalke shot-stopper to function as a pseudo-sweeper, due to the gap created in the backline when the defenders rush to join the attack.

The two keepers will play a huge part in the result and both will look to ensure a win for their respective sides.

#2 Defence

The right-back’s position is contested by two different players containing one representative from either side. Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin and Munich’s Phillip Lahm are the two contenders here.

Bellerin has been in fine form of late and his attacking runs and crosses into the box have caused opposition centre-halves a lot of problems while his pace in tracking back only increases his cause. Phillip Lahm though is the obvious choice here having averaged 90% passing accuracy and winning 51% of all duels contested this season. The versatile German International’s game is characterized by his tactical nous, defensive solidity and at 31 years of age, the level of consistency in his game is a testament to his legacy as a footballer.

The two centre-back slots are relatively easier to fill. One is a sure lockdown for Laurent Koscielny, by far Arsenal’s best defender of the past few seasons. He has made a decent start to this season as well, averaging at least 10 defensive actions and winning 58% of the duels contested. Fresh from a dominant defensive performance against Watford, he would be key in Arsenal’s hope of obtaining a clean sheet and keeping the Bayern attackers at bay.

The other centre-back slot is a tug of war between Bayern Munich duo Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez. Jerome Boateng gets the nod here with his ability to bomb forward and contribute to the attack while maintaining a defensive cover. Boateng has been a crucial part of the Bayern team that has conceded only 4 goals this season and has a great offensive contribution to the team having created seven chances and averaging a few shots on goal every other match.

David Alaba slots in at left-back. Alaba is known for his great pace, acceleration, and stamina which enables him to participate effectively in attacks, and shut down opposition wingers. He is incredibly effective in the left back role averaging 92% pass accuracy and 4 defensive actions per game. Alaba has firmly cemented his place in the Bayern Munich lineup being one of the first names on the team sheet and is preferred to Nacho Monreal & Kieran Gibbs in the combined XI.

#3 Midfield

The midfield pivot is clinched by Bayern Munich duo Xabi Alonso and Arturo Vidal. Both of them have been in sublime form of late with Xabi’s ball-winning ability and interceptions being a key factor in Bayern Munich remaining undefeated at the start of the season. Add to that a brilliant passing ability and range, the experienced Spaniard was always the obvious choice to Francis Coquelin, though the Arsenal midfielder has put in some great performances this season.

Vidal makes the cut ahead of Arsenal duo Arteta and Cazorla for his tough tackling no nonsense displays for Bayern at the heart of midfield. Vidal is an extremely gifted player with an eye for goal and has registered a passing accuracy of 90% while winning 41% of the duels contested.

The left wing position is a toss up between Alexis Sanchez and Douglas Costa. Sanchez has been on a golden run these past few matches and has registered 6 goals in 9 appearances to his name while Costa has managed a solitary strike from 8 appearances. In a head to head comparison of stats, the Chilean comes out on top of the Brazilian having registered a better pass accuracy, shot accuracy and the number of duels won. Hence, Sanchez gets the nod on the left and his combination with fellow national teamer Vidal in the combined XI is expected to pay dividends.

Moving to the right wing, we have Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain contesting for a spot with Thomas Muller. Robben is out injured and has not been considered for a place for the very same reason. Blessed with raw pace similar to Theo Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain is a handful for any left back and with his ability to score from distance, Bayern need to be wary of his presence. However, the spot goes to Thomas Muller for averaging a goal a game in his 9 appearances so far while seeing half his shots on goal reach the target. Not only does the German average better passing accuracy and chance creation, he is an obvious pick because Ox has failed to get on the score sheet this term.

Mesut Ozil completes the midfield and lines up in the hole. The German has finally found his feet and is beginning to look like his former self when he terrorised defences in the white of Real Madrid. Having been heavily involved in most of Arsenal’s goals this season, Ozil brings calmness, vision and guile along with immense skill to the Arsenal midfield. The Gunners will look to him for inspiration and his range of passing will be key in unlocking a resolute Bayern defence.

#4 Forward

Robert Lewandowski takes the place of the lone striker hands down. Theo Walcott and Oliver Giroud, good players that they are, cannot be held in the same bracket as Lewandowski. Not an out-and-out striker, by any means, Walcott has shown glimpses of his best along with his worst. His blistering pace and intelligent movement will be key if Arsenal are to break down a thorough Die Roten backline. Olivier Giroud, whose finishing is inexplicably underrated, has returned from his one-match suspension to facilitate things in London.

Lewandowski is easily one of the best footballers in the world and has averaged a goal to game ratio of 1.5 in the current campaign for his club.The prolific Polish striker may have to get more creative in the penalty area as most of the plays which unlocks the Arsenal defence is from set pieces, and open play service is a little easier for them to handle. The ex-Borussia Dortmund striker who has an incredible shot accuracy of 77 % will definitely have a say in the proceedings at the Emirates stadium.

Subs : Petr Cech, Hector Bellerin, Javi Martinez, Nacho Monreal, Cazorla, Douglas Costa, Olivier Giroud

Edited by Staff Editor