What a rollercoaster few weeks it has been for Arsenal, and now the club faces the toughest clash of the season as the players travel to Germany to take on Bayern Munich.
The current German, European, and World champions are in formidable form and hold a 2-0 advantage heading into this second leg after cruising to an easy win at the Emirate 2 weeks ago. On that occasion Arsenal had Wojciech Szczęsny sent off in the first half, but this time manager Arsene Wenger will be hoping to keep all eleven men on the pitch while also using last year as a barometer.
The Gunners trailed Bayern 3-1 at this stage of the competition last year and went to the Allianz Arena and took a 2-0. That was not enough to qualify, but an equal result this time would be enough to take the tie to extra time. The players have the quality and stranger things have certainly happened in football, but of course Bayern are arguably the best team in the world.
Arsene Wenger had the luxury of resting key men on Saturday as he watched his players win 4-1 against Everton to reach the FA Cup semi final. Oliver Giroud will likely come back into the team after his late show double on Saturday, while the glimpses of form from Mesut Ozil will encourage those inside the club and the fans.
However, there is no getting away from the fact that Bayern Munich posses the players to hurt Arsenal and the game will have to be approached with caution. It is interesting that many are writing off Arsenal´s chances in this match, but make no mistake Arsenal can win this and progress. It is unlikely, but don´t bet against this team and its growing mentality.