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Arteta's Arsenal have chance to vanquish Bayern Munich demons
By Adam Schultz
Arsenal host Bayern Munich at the Emirates on Tuesday as Mikel Arteta's side gets a chance for revenge as previous encounters in Europe have seen the Gunners routinely embarrassed.
Arsenal and Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout stages has long been a David and Goliath matchup with the Germans often having their way with the Gunners.
Fans of a certain age will remember back when it seemed like every Round of 16 draw, the Gunners would be met with Bayern and the sense of "here we go again" filtered through the fan base.
It was proper nightmare fuel.
At one stage, Arsenal drew Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 in back-to-back seasons (2012/13 & 2013/14) before being put in a group together in 2015 to then renew hostilities in the 2016/17 Round of 16 stage...and the result was always the same. At that time, under Arsene Wenger, the Gunners simply couldn't compete against the powerhouses of world football, and the results reflected that.
Out of the eight matches over the time, Arsenal won just twice, a 2-0 away in the Round of 16 second leg (Bayern won 3-3 on away goals) in 2012/13 and a 2-0 win on Matchday 3 in 2015/16 thanks to strikes from Oliver Giroud (77) and Mesut Ozil (90'+4).
All others since 2012 have ended the same way, with Bayern embarrassing Arsenal. From 2012 through to the 2016/17 season, Munich scored 21 goals and conceded just seven. Keep in mind that the last three encounters between the two sides have ended 5-1 in Bayern's favor.
Bayern Munich’s Director of Sport, Max Erbel, on what gives him hope for the Arsenal clash:
— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) April 6, 2024
“At the moment I can't think of much.” 😬 pic.twitter.com/JWb8lT9tWV
But now, Arsenal has a chance to slay this demon with Bayern coming to the Emirates for the first leg of the Quarter Finals.
With the Gunners in imperious form, having lost just twice since January 24th (FA Cup to Liverpool and FC Porto, first leg of Round of 16) while scoring 34 goals and conceding just five (nine wins, one draw), and Bayern coming off back-to-back losses to Borussia Dortmund (2-0) and FC Heidenheim (3-2), this demon shall hold no fear for Arsenal.
The Gunners now have a chance to put the mental scars from previous years in the rearview mirror. Once the "easy beats" for Bayern in Europe under Wenger, Arteta's juggernaut can put a dagger through the heart of its once most feared opponent.
Arsenal has the chance to slay its Champions League bogeyman and further solidify what we already know about the Gunners under Arteta...they are easy beats no more.