Arsene Wenger insisted that Arsenal remain up for the huge challenge against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The gunners are once again set for a difficult opponent in the last 16 stage of the competition. In the last few years, they have faced such tough opposition largely as a result of finishing second in the group. This time around, the club have been unlucky to come up against the Bavarian giants despite finishing top of the group. Arsenal come into the game under a lot of pressure as a result of falling 10 points behind Chelsea in the Premier League.
Any slim hopes of winning the Premier League title for the first time since the 2003-04 season seemed to have vanished. There have been calls for Wenger to step down from his role at the end of the campaign. These have intensified speculation about the Frenchman’s future, as his current contract with the club runs out at the end of the campaign.
Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright recently speculated that he believed Wenger would finally end his long stay with the club. Wenger has been at Arsenal since 1996. Even though he was initially successful, the Frenchman has struggled to win trophies in the last decade.
The manager refused to entertain any talk about his future ahead of this important game. “We play against a Bayern side who for every year the same task is to win the Champions League. When you look at their record, they are always basically in the last four, so it is a massive challenge but we are capable of dealing with it. We have an advantage to play the second game at home. But we know as well every minute of tomorrow’s game will have a big influence on our chances at home to knock them out,” said Wenger.