Going into Match Day 3 of the Champions League, Bayern Munich are hoping to all but clinch qualification for the knock-out rounds. Bayer Leverkusen, on the other hand, sorely need the three points up for grabs.
Having taken the maximum six points from their first two matches in Group F, Bayern Munich have the luxury of going into their match against Arsenal at the Emirates in the knowledge that a victory would all but assure that they will move on.
As they have been all season, the Bavarians will be brimming with confidence following their 1-0 victory over Werder Bremen on Saturday setting a new Bundesliga record by winning each of their first nine games of the campaign.
‘Strange’ Arsenal
The Bavarians face a North London club that has yet to earn a point in Group F, but club Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge warned against taking a win at the Emirates for granted.
“You have to take them very, very seriously,” Rummenigge said, saying that the fact that Arsenal are currently second in the Premier League said all you need to know about their quality.
“That they are last in the Champions League is a bit strange,” he said. “We must play concentrated and earn the points, in order to finish top of the group,” he added.
Pep Guardiola has has described Tuesday’s match as the “first final” of the young season – on the way to what Bayern’s players and management hope will be a treble of titles.
While Guardiola will again be without Arjen Robben, he should have Kingsley Conan, who has recovered from a muscle injury at his disposal, as well as Douglas Costa who was rested on Saturday.
Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger, though also feels his side can get a result on Tuesday evening, despite their lack of success in the Champions League this campaign.
“Now to correct that, we need a great performance. The confidence level is there, we know exactly what is required (because) a 0-0 is not even a good result. To score goals, we have to attack,” he told Arsenal’s official website.
Leverkusen under the gun
The other Bundesliga team to see action on Tuesday evening will be approaching the match from a different perspective. Bayer Leverkusen, who are set to face Roma at home, still need to pick up points if they are to stay on track to qualify for the knock-out stage. The Rhineland club have taken four points from their first two games in Group E.
Bayer’s managing director, Michael Schade, is hoping for better things from his side, currently a disappointing seventh in the Bundesliga.
“The past few games were rather sobering, and we haven’t played very well,” he said. “We have been wasting too many good opportunities. We have to do better against Roma.”
Technical director Rudi Völler agreed that his team needed to be “more effective” if they are to come away with something from Tuesday’s match.
pfd/ (SID, dpa)
