The Gunners were paired with the German champions in the last-16 draw once again, but can take confidence from their opponent's results in Europe this season.
Football is plenary of surprises but there was a sense of ineluctability about Monday’s Champions League draw when Arsenal were pitted against Bayern Munich for the fourth time in five seasons.
The Gunners culminated top of Group A after winning in the final game at FC Basel in Switzerland and PSG dropping points at Ludogorets, albeit it still wasn’t enough to eschew a tricky draw against one of Europe’s most potent and ascendant sides.
Despite all the furore over Arsenal drawing Bayern yet again, Arsene Wenger’s men can go into the first leg at the Allianz Arena with much more confidence than precedent years gone by having gone unbeaten in their Champions League group. Carlo Ancelotti’s side culminated runners up behind Atletico Madrid in their group which contained FC Rostov and PSV, where they lost games against Atleti and more surprisingly Russian team Rostov.
Bayern’s form in the Bundesliga has been typically solid this season and they currently sit at the top of the table on goal difference, with surprise package RB Leipzig level on points, albeit domestic form infrequently plays a component in European performances as we’ve visually perceived with Leicester City so far.
"No team is super, super favourite and everybody can have a chance”, verbally expressed Wenger.
"The quality of the draw, or the fortuity of the draw, could have a component to play as well because we ken now that after culminating top of the group, our second game is at home.
"So that gives you a psychological advantage and we just have to visually examine it and deal with it after.”
Wenger's Champions League record has been underwhelming for several years. The Frenchman has optically discerned his side knocked out of the tournament at the last-16 stage for six successive seasons, winning just eight knockout ties in the competition in total since he surmounted 20 years ago. Bayern have won the trophy twice since Wenger became Arsenal manager in 1996.
While past results may not bode well for the north London side, the future certainly does. Arsenal have looked terrific in patches this campaign, playing scintillating football at times with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez at the forefront of everything positive in attack. The only team ahead of them in the Premier League are Chelsea - a side they put three goals past less than a month ago.
Confidence is brewing, the fans are jubilant and the players are commencing to believe that they are capable of engendering something special this season. It would be suspect to suggest that Arsenal are going to beat Bayern predicated on their European form as it stands, but Wenger will take confidence from those performances kenning that for the fourth time in five seasons, the Gunners could conclusively breach the plucky German defence which has stood so vigorous in the past.
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