Arsenal and Bayern are going through a season with a vast difference in standards as the North Londoners stand at the edge of the clip with only a glimpse hope of Champions league qualification while the Bavarians have destroyed their opponents in the league and have opened up a massive 20 point gap over Borussia Dortmund and also have had an exciting run in the European tournament as well.

If Arsenal do get thrashed tonight, it will be the first time since the 1995-96 season that an English team will not feature in the last eight of the competition and thus will start a fresh debate about the power shift in European football not only to Spain but also to Germany, who could have as many as three representatives in the last eight of the competition.

Arsene Wenger has rightly pointed out the same in his pre-match Interview:

“The chance is small, but the chance makes the impossible possible. That would be a great credit for our team if we do it. We have to try to achieve it.”

Team News and Injury updates:

Both the teams have been rocked with the news from their treatment tables as potential match winners have been ruled out for either teams. Just when the Gunners where starting to get a meagre hope after hearing the news from Germany that French International Franck Ribery picked up an ankle injury their influential midfielder Jack Wilshere was announced injured and is set to miss the game and potentially the rest of the season with an ankle injury.  And the list does not stop there, right back Sagna and striker Podolski are also major doubts for the game.

Injury update on Wilshere by Wenger:

“It was bone bruising last time, which deteriorated into a stress fracture. That is what we don’t want to happen, nobody knows if it was going to happen again.

“We do a regular scan on him[Wilshere] and, on one of the scans, it showed up bone bruising on the heel on the right foot. He had some inflammation on the right ankle, where he had surgery, and certainly compensated to protect that ankle, and put too much pressure on the left one.

“Every month, he [Wilshere] has a scan of the two ankles because you ask him how he is and he says, ‘Perfect.’

For Bayern Ribery will be join Arjen Robben who is also a major doubt for the game having problems with a calf strain and the German’s have to start the game with a revised team as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Jerome Boateng are both suspended for the game.

Possible starting lineups:

Bayern: Neuer; Lahm, Van Buyten, Dante, Alaba; Martinez, Gustavo; Shaqiri, Kroos, Muller; Mandzukic

Arsenal: Szczesny; Jenkinson, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen; Ramsey, Arteta, Wilshere; Cazorla, Walcott, Giroud.

Match Facts:

• Bayern Munich are the top scorers in this season’s Champions League (18 goals).
• The only English team to beat Bayern Munich away from home in Europe (penalties excluded) are Norwich City, back in October 1993 (UEFA Cup).
• Bayern Munich have won all three of their home games in the competition this season (12 goals, three conceded).
• Bayern Munich have never lost by more than two clear goals at home in the Champions League.
• Arsenal have only ever won once in Germany in the Champions League despite travelling there eight times. It was in September 2006 against Hamburg (2-1).
• Arsenal have lost their two previous away games against Bayern Munich (one goal scored, four conceded).
• Arsenal and Bayern Munich have met five times in the Champions League, with the Bavarians winning three times, Arsenal once and the other one ending in a draw.
• Bayern Munich have attempted the most crosses in the Champions League this season (217). All three of their goals in the first leg against Arsenal came from crosses.
• Bayern Munich have had 10 different goalscorers in the Champions League this season, more than any other side.
• Only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (5) has delivered more assists than Olivier Giroud and Philipp Lahm (4) in the Champions League this season.

Prediction: 3-1 win for the home side.

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