The 2nd leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final game between former German Champions, Bayern Munich and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal comes off at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night and one wonders, can Bayern’s UCL pedigree help them KO Arsenal?
After an entertaining 2-2 draw in the first encounter at the Emirates, an Arsenal side that might have just lost the English Premier League title race to Man City with a 0-2 defeat to Aston Villa, will have to pick itself up and try to pull off a huge one against Bayern.
Finally knowing the German league is not something they can win, the home team will have to find a way to repeat previous performances against the Gunners in the Champions League if they want to give themselves a chance of winning any trophy this season.
Bayern’s Last Shot at a Trophy is now the Champions League
While one can talk about Bayern’s superior head-to-head record over Arsenal or their great home form in the UEFA Champions League as their biggest strengths going into this enormous encounter, we would argue none of those things are Bayern’s biggest motivations.
If you are a Bayern Munich side, considered one of the biggest clubs in all of Europe 6 times winners of the UEFA Champions League and have lost the league title you have won for the past 9 seasons, avoiding going trophy-less will be your only goal.
The only way Bayern avoids ending this season without winning anything and making the season a complete failure and unacceptable to the fans would be winning the UEFA Champions League or at least getting to the final two stages and that starts by knocking out Arsenal.
Arsenal Fans would not Mind Lifting the UCL, if not the EPL
While lifting the Champions League is technically not Arsenal’s only chance at winning silverware this season given they are just two points behind Man City in the league at 2nd, and have already won the EFL Community Shield, the Gunners would not mind lifting the UCL at all.
It is general knowledge the Gunners were dreaming about lifting a different trophy this season, the EPL, however with that dream looking a lot closer to impossible now, Mikel Arteta and his lads would not mind switching their attention to the UEFA Champions League.
It is, after all, the trophy the Gunners have never won and dream of winning someday, they just did not imagine that that day could be this season with Arsenal only potentially four games away from lifting the Champions League but first, they will have to overcome Bayern at the Allianz Arena.
Match Stats
In the previous 5 meetings between Bayern Munich and Arsenal, Bayern have won 3 including two 5-1 wins at home, while Arsenal have won one, 2-0 at home, and drew the other (the recent 2-2).
Bayern Munich have created the 2nd most big chances in the UEFA Champions League this season, 31, behind City’s 37, while Arsenal have kept the most clean sheet together with Dortmund and Inter, (4).
Bayern Munich's latest meetings with Arsenal have been high-scoring with over 2.5 goals in all of their last 4 encounters (Champions League).
Bayern Munich have not been beaten in their last 9 straight home clashes in the Champions League while Arsenal are unbeaten in 6 of their last 7 Champions League games.
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