Mikel Arteta urged to drop frail defender for Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

Tonight is the biggest match of the season so far, as Mikel Arteta prepares to host a Champions League classic of Arsenal vs Bayern Munich. It is the first of two legs and the Gunners have the home advantage in the first round of the tie, therefore, tonight is key to maximising that opportunity.

Needless to say, Arsenal don't have the best history against Bayern Munich. When the draw was initially made, memories of being destroyed 10-2 on aggregate came flooding back to Arsenal fans. However, if any team is capable of overturning the bad hoodoo, it's this current crop of world-class players under their equally world-class coach.

That said, Mikel Arteta does have some tough decisions to make with regard to his starting eleven. While some decisions make themselves, there are other positions which host tougher competition for places than others. Most notably, Arsenal have three left-backs in contention for this game - Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Mikel Arteta urged to drop frail defender for Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

In the buildup to Arsenal vs Bayern Munich, Arteta is put under a lot of pressure to bench Oleksandr Zinchenko. Recently, we claimed that Tomiyasu should get the nod since he is the best DEFENSIVE full-back, most notably in 1v1 situations. A case could also be made for Kiwior to start this match but unfortunately, I do not see much of a case for Zinny to start this one.

In fact, Football FanCast even claim that Arsenal MUST bench Zinchenko since Harry Kane and his Bayern teammates have the capabilities to destroy him. It pains me to say but I do agree.

Zinchenko is an excellent attacking full-back but in games which call for defensive composure and resilience, like this match against Bayern, having Zinchenko in the team doesn't fill anyone with confidence.

Mikel Arteta is not the type of manager to give into external pressure. While pundits, fans on social media and journalists all seem to think alike, at the end of the day, the final call is with Mikel Arteta. If he wishes to start Zinchenko, then his tactical expertise affords him the autonomy to make such a call.

Time will tell what the starting eleven looks like for Arsenal but we can say for certain that Mikel Arteta will lineup strongly since he knows the prestige that winning this competition offers.

Who do you think will start for Arsenal vs Bayern Munich?