Arsenal have a perfect record in this season's Champions League but one of their main rivals has been tipped as the team to thwart their European dreams in the knockouts
Arsenal have been told that Bayern Munich could prove their biggest hurdle in their pursuit of the Champions League with the Germans "getting the better" of the Gunners in most of their meetings.
The north Londoners are on the hunt for all four trophies this season with European glory firmly within their sights. They are the only team in the tournament to have a perfect record after eight games, which includes a win over the Bavarians at the Emirates.
Arsenal dealt Bayern their first loss of the season when they beat them in November, which was sweet revenge for the Premier League leaders. Two years ago it was the German giants who ousted Mikel Arteta's side from Europe in the quarter-finals.
Previous to that the Bavarians had knocked out the Gunners in 2017, 2014 and 2013. Dietmar Hamann admits that Bayern's level has dropped off since their blistering start to the season, but would still back them over two-legs.
He told Thunderpick: "Usually in the past, they have always got the better of Arsenal. So, I think that was one of the reasons why Arsenal was desperate to show them earlier in the season, you know, this year is our year. If you want to come back and maybe beat us in the knockout stages, you’re in for a game
"It’s a bit similar to what Bayern Munich wanted to show to PSG, because they played a fantastic game in Paris, a man down, still won the game. But Bayern hasn’t been the same team since. Since PSG, the performances haven’t been that dominant. They still won games.
"Obviously, they’ve dropped a few points in the league as well. So Bayern Munich are not firing as they did in the autumn. If they do get back to their form, which I’m not too sure about, I would favour Bayern Munich over two games. But it would be a fantastic game because obviously the first game was breathtaking."
Arsenal are favourites for the Champions League with Bayern narrowly behind them in the betting. They go into Friday's last 16 draw as the top two seeds, meaning they will be split until the final. One will be drawn against Atalanta, the other against Bayer Leverkusen.
The Gunners have never claimed European glory - their best result coming in 2006 when they were losing finalists. Bayern meanwhile have conquered the continent on six occasions, most recently in 2020 when they won the Champions League.