Arsenal will clash with arguably the best club side in the world later today as the Gunners welcome Bayern Munich to the Emirates.
The current German, European, and world champions are in formidable form and will present Arsenal with quality football and strong organization. If ever there was a test of where Arsenal are in terms of the Premier League and Champions League then this is it. If Arsene Wenger can mastermind a victory over two legs and progress to the next round, he will feel that his team will be favourites to win Europe´s premier competition.
However, there is a real danger that Bayern will come to the Emirates to flex their muscles and the German club is not averse to racking up high score lines. Indeed, Arsenal will have to be at their very best to defeat what is the most well oiled machine in the global game, while the flair in the Bayern team will also pose its own threats.
Under Pep Guardiola, the Bavarian club has become even better than the all conquering team of last season. Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern at this stage last season, but Wenger will take mixed emotions from the two legs last term. At the Emirates Bayern won convincingly, but Arsenal went to the Allianz Arena two weeks later and won 2-0.
Wenger will tell his players to play with the same expression and freedom as they did in that second leg, but deep down he will know a repeat of the first leg is also possible. Mikel Arteta is suspended for tomorrow´s match so Thomas Rosicky is likely to be called back into the team as Aaron Ramsey remains a long term absentee.
Kieran Gibbs, Bacary Sagna, and Oliver Giroud were on the bench for the FA Cup win over Liverpool on the weekend and will likely feature from the start on Wednesday. With Bayern in full flow it will be a tough match for Arsenal, but it will be riveting for the fans, even if it could get messy if the team is not up for it.