CHRIS Graham (@chrisgraham79) previews Arsenal's Emirates clash with Bayern Munich. Can they restore some pride?
Arsenal v Bayern Munich | Tuesday 19:45 | BT Sport 1
21 years as Arsenal manager, but Arsene Wenger's position seemed to shift further towards the cliff edge after the opening leg of this match three weeks ago.
An Arsenal surrender
Let's be frank, it was never going to be easy going to the Allianz Arena but what unravelled that night was an Arsenal surrender as they succumbed to a 5-1 defeat.
Calls for Wenger's exit have certainly intensified and he's now generally 2/5 not to be in charge at the North London club next season (I much prefer the 7/4 that he stays to be honest).
So the tie's gone, the baw's burst, Arsenal have four defeats from their last six matches and they're currently out the Top 4. It's as grim as it's got for Wenger for sure.
Brilliant Bayern
Opponents Bayern Munich have no such concern. Like a thoroughbred horse they're moving through the gears at the moment as the business end of the season approaches.
Carlo Ancelotti's side are unbeaten in 17 matches and are seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. 15 of those 17 unbeaten matches have been wins and they've dished out some hammerings along the way.
Bayern have scored 20 goals in their last five matches and have just two in the conceded column over this period. These goals have come from 10 different goalscorers, expressing the sheer breadth of talent at the club.
No pressure a positive for Arsenal?
But with so little at stake here for Bayern can we expect them to be at full rev here. Surely there's more at stake for Wenger and Arsenal. There's pride to be fought for, there's self-respect to be regained. Or are these empty concepts for Arsenal?
The North London club have a habit of showing some teeth when the pressure is off. They fought back from bad positions in previous Champions League knockout ties against AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Monaco but they were all in vain.
Another rousing yet pointless Arsenal display can't be ruled out on Tuesday night so I'll swerve the Win-Draw-Win market and focus on goals.
Arsenal have scored in their last 18 matches as have Bayern and I'd like to think they'll both deliver here. BTTS and Over 2.5 Goals are both fairly short but when you combine them within the same bet odds of 4/5 become acceptable.
Best Bets
Arsenal v Bayern Munich – Both Teams To Score and Over 2.5 Goals (4/5 Stan James)
