Arsenal

Bayern Munich vs Arsenal, Round of 16 2nd Leg UEFA Champions League: Open Thread

No matter what Arsenal does today against Bayern Munich in their UEFA Champions League second leg match, the Gunners find themselves in an unwinnable situation. That is unless, of course, they perform a miracle and beat Bayern on aggregate.

If Arsenal gets slaughtered today, they’ll get killed in the press even if they are fielding a weaker side. Even if they draw or lose marginally today, they’ll still be criticized for not fielding a strong side. Other than a miracle win today, the only “win” for Arsenal will be to leave Germany with a respectable result (whether it’s a win, loss or draw) and then win on Saturday against Swansea in the Premier League.

Sometimes I pity the role of a football manager. Arsenal will be without Jack Wilshere, Bacary Sagna, Lukas Podolski, Wojciech Szczesny and Abou Diaby due to injury, while Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla are expected to start on the bench. Wenger finds himself in the hot seat at the worst possible time against one of the world’s best teams — and it’s an away match in Germany at the Allianz Arena.

This could get ugly today. Or, Arsenal could show a new side to the team that is willing to fight even when it’s against the odds.

Before, during or after today’s matches, post your rants, raves, questions or observations in the comments section below.

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