Arsene Wenger men traveled to Munich as they took on Bayern Munich in the Champions League round of 16 first leg on Wednesday night. Arjan Robben had put Bayern Munich 1-0 up in just 11th minute of the game but it did not took long for Arsenal to bounce back when the won a penalty kick and although Neuer saved Sanchez initial penalty ball rebound and Sanchez made no mistak in putting the ball in the back of the net.
Match Highlights (English)
Arsene Wenger Post Match Interview:
Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal Highlights
[ UEFA Champions League 2017 Match ]
11′ 1 – 0 Arjen Robben opened the scoring for Bayern in just 11th minute of the game.
30′ 1 – 0 (Penalty miss) Alexis Sanchez failed to convert the spot kick
30′ 1 – 1 Alexis Sanchez however scored straight from rebound to make it 1-1 and most importantly scored the away goal which might prove pivotel.
53′ 2 – 1 Robert Lewandowski’s trademark header just after the break made it 2-1 for Bayern as Arsenal crumbled yet again.
56′ 3 – 1 Thiago Alcantara scored another for Bayern minutes later to pretty much put Bayern out of sight as far as this tie was concerned.
88′ 5 – 1 Thomas Mueller
Arsenal and Bayern Munich have meet several times over the past 6-7 years in Champions League and Arsenal struggled to be Bayern Munich every time over the two legs. However they did won couple of games but not enough to see them through. Arsenal have been stuck in Round of 16 over the last 6 years and this Bayern Munich side is not the monster of 2-3 years ago. Arsenal do have a good chance to getting through to quarterfinals for the first time in 6 years specially considering they play the second leg at home.
Last time these two meet was back in November 2015 in the Champions League group stages where Bayern hammered Arsenal 5-1 in what was one of the worst away performances by Arsenal side in recent history.
Team News & Lineups: Arsenal has their injury worries eased and we can expect the likes of Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal set to take full back positions while Koscielny and Mustafi to play in central defense. Arsenal do have Xhaka in the squad but he is unlike to start in midfield as Wenger will go with more robust players like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Coquelin and Elneny to pack the midfield while Ozil, Sanches and Welbeck to start upfront.
Bayern Munich on the other hand has a full squad to choose from and we can expect their usually strong lineup of Lewandowski starting upfront while Douglas Costa and Robben to start on the flanks. Three man midfield of Alonso, Thiago and Vidal will surely give Bayern slight advantage in middle of the park. This is how I expect both teams to lineup.
Match Predictions: Since the first leg is in Germany, Bayern Munich will go into the game slightly favourite but Arsenal don’t have a record to be proud of at Allianz Arena. However I expect a tight game where Arsenal might be able to hold out Bayern by packing the midfield and defending in numbers. Any score draw will favour Arsenal as they play second leg at home. I have this sneaky feeling Arsenal might just get the better of Bayern Munich this time around.
