Champions League: Arsenal face Bayern Munich in last 16 for second successive season

Arsenal will be hoping to learn from the mistakes of last season when they take on Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the second year in a row.

The Gunners were knocked out on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate draw at the same stage of the competition 12 months ago, when the damage was done in the first leg at Emirates Stadium.

Guardiola: Extended interview

Bayern scored twice inside the opening 21 minutes on that occasion as they ran out 3-1 winners, but Arsene Wenger has insisted that his side are now in 'much better mental shape', exactly one year on.
Arsenal will bemoan their failure to again to finish top of their group, having missed out to Borussia Dortmund on goal difference following a 2-0 defeat by Napoli on matchday six, but they have otherwise had a very encouraging campaign to suggest that Wenger's optimism is well-founded.

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• February 19, 2014 7:00pm
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Currently second in the Premier League, just a point behind title rivals Chelsea, and through to the FA Cup quarter-finals, Arsenal are still fighting on three fronts to end their well-documented trophy drought.
There have been one or two blips along the way, such as a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool earlier in February, and midfielder Jack Wilshere has admitted Arsenal must play more intelligently against Bayern than they did last year to ensure the tie is still alive going into the return leg at the Allianz Arena on March 11.
Memories of a 2-0 away win in last season's second leg are sure to give Arsenal some confidence, while sprits will have been lifted by a 2-1 FA Cup victory over Liverpool at the weekend.
However, Arsenal will still be under no illusions as to the size of the task facing them against the European champions, with Bayern looking to underline their status as the continent's dominant force by becoming the first side to win the trophy in two consecutive years.

Best of enemies

There have been no signs of the hunger waning since Pep Guardiola took charge last summer, with Bayern unbeaten in the Bundesliga after winning 19 of their 21 matches to open up an apparently insurmountable 16-point gap.
They also set a new competition record of 10 straight Champions League victories by winning their first five group matches this season, before that phenomenal run came to an end when Manchester City hit back from two goals down to win 3-2 in Germany.
Bayern have won five straight league matches since returning to action after a winter break and Guardiola recognises that they are favourites to progress, but he is taking nothing for granted in what he expects to be a close tie.

Arsenal

Last 6

1. 2-1
2. 0-0
3. 5-1
4. 2-0
5. 2-2
6. 4-0

Midfielder Mikel Arteta is suspended and will miss out as Arsenal tackle holders Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium.

Tomas Rosicky replaces Arteta in the matchday squad which resembles that which beat Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday, with Wojciech Szczesny likely to return in goal in place of Lukasz Fabianski.
Jack Wilshere (stiff back), Santi Cazorla (ill), Kieran Gibbs (muscular problem), Bacary Sagna (tired) and Olivier Giroud (tired) are poised to return to the starting XI after taking places on the bench against Liverpool.

Bay Munich

Last 6

1. 4-0
2. 0-2
3. 5-0
4. 1-2
5. 0-2
6. 2-0

Bayern will be without Franck Ribery, who has started running once again, but is some way off returning to team training after undergoing surgery on his buttock.

Guardiola will also be missing Xherdan Shaqiri, who pulled his thigh after scoring two goals in a 4-0 win over Freiburg on Saturday.
However, Bastian Schweinsteiger (ankle) and Daniel Van Buyten (knee) are back in contention.

Opta facts

• Arsenal have scored eight goals in the Champions League this season, all from open play and inside the box.
• Arsenal are the only team, alongside Real Madrid, to have reached the knockout stages of the Champions League in every season since the new format in 2003/04.
• Bayern have had the most shots on target in the Champions League this season: 54 (that's 35 more than Arsenal with 19).