Arsenal take on Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena tomorrow night, knowing that a positive result could go a long way in progressing through the Group Stages of the Champions League.
The two sides met at the Emirates a couple of weeks ago and despite minimal possession, Arsene Wenger’s side somehow managed to bag a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil.
But a more difficult task awaits them tomorrow night, with Pep Guardiola’s side out for revenge.
Many have written off Arsenal’s chances of a win at Bayern, but the Gunners have won at the Allianz in the past – so history could well repeat itself.
Arsenal’s last outing resulted in a 3-0 Premier League win against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium, so the Gunners go in tomorrow’s game against Bayern with their tales high, even though they still have up to eight players out injured.
With this in mind, how should Arsenal line up against the German giants in this crucial Champions League match?
Well here is how I think we should play it:
Cech
Bellerin Gabriel Koscielny Monreal
Coquelin Cazorla
Sanchez Ozil Gibbs
Giroud
It’s more than likely Per Mertesacker will start alongside Laurent Koscielny in the heart of the defence, but I would rather see Gabriel in there next to the Frenchman, purely because he is quicker and stronger than the German, and Robert Lewandowski will need to be tamed if we are to get anything out of this game.
The midfield pairing of Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla as usual in centre midfield and because we are lacking options on the right, Alexis Sanchez has to take up this position once again.
Against Swansea, Wenger opted to go with Joel Campbell and although the Cost Rican forward did well and scored a goal, he sometimes dismisses his defensive duties, leaving Nacho Monreal exploited and vulnerable. Because of this, I would stick Kieran Gibbs out on the left as he would bomb forward and also provide some assistance to Monreal defensively.
Finally, Ozil behind our only available striker, Giroud.
