Betdistrict.com
Massive Champions League clash at Emirates, with Arsenal’s hopes of advancing hanging on by a thread when the home side squares off against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munchen.
Arsene Wenger’s gamble of resting a number of players in the matches against Olympiakos and Dinamo Zagreb backfired badly, as Arsenal shockingly lost both games and is now in a desperate situation. The Gunners need something from the Bayern Munich double. A draw could end up proving enough if absolutely all other results go their way, but realistically Arsenal needs to win one of these games to have a fighting chance. Despite the horrid Champions League form, Arsenal is doing very well domestically, particularly lately. The Gunners have been unstoppable in the last three games, winning against Leicester, Manchester United and Watford with a 11-2 goal difference. Last time out, Arsenal won 3-0 at Watford on Saturday.
It`s been an easy cruise for Bayern Munich so far in the group, with the Bundesliga leaders winning 3-0 in Greece against Olympiakos and 5-0 at home with Zagreb. Obviously Bayern is a lock to win the group, but they will look to do the job as early as possible and a win in London would be a massive step in that direction. The visitors are simply unstoppable this season, winning all matches in all competitions after losing the Supercup to Wolfsburg – including some masterclass performances, most recently a 5-1 win against Dortmund. Still, Bayern did not impress over the weekend, only winning 1-0 against Werder Bremen despite fielding the best lineup.
Bet on Arsenal vs. Bayern at Betsson and claim your 25 Euro welcome bonus now!
Team news & lineups:
Obviously Arsene Wenger will not gamble again today and will send the best players on the pitch. Nevertheless, he will have to do without Arteta, Welbeck, Flamini, Wilshere, Rosicky and Ospina. Bayern Munchen will miss Robben Gotze, Badstuber, Benatia, Rode and Ribery, with Douglas Costa a doubt.
Arsenal: Cech – Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal – Cazorla, Coquelin – Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Sanchez – Walcott
Bayern Munich: Neuer – Alaba, Martinez, Boateng, Lahm – Alcantara, Alonso, Vidal – Costa, Lewandowski, Muller
The first instinct would obviously be to bet on goals here, particularly with Arsenal needing a win and being in fantastic goalscoring form. However, it would be foolish to expect Arsenal to go gung ho in this match. Wenger knows all too well what Bayern can do if given spaces to exploit, so expect the Gunners to play cautiously, looking to defend well, close down spaces and hope to be effective when they get their chances.
It`s worth noting that Arsenal and Bayern met twice in the Champions League Round 16 over the last three years. From the 4 meetings, 3 of them saw under 2,5 goals and those were the most recent three games, including the two when Bayern was managed by Guardiola. Just because the two sides are offensive by nature does not mean that they must produce overish H2H meetings.
With the above factors in mind, I can see an under on the under / over market here. I feel the circumstances favor the under, as Arsenal’s desperation will probably make them more prudent rather than more offensive. Bayern also misses a fair number of key offensive players and if Douglas Costa won`t be 100% fit it will be a problem. Expect both sides to avoid leaving themselves vulnerable. Arsenal might snatch this one if they repeat the defensive performance they put on against Manchester United, but I wouldn`t bet on it. My tip is under 2,75 goals. Prediction: Arsenal – Bayern Munich 1-0.
Pick: under 2,75 goals
Odds: 2.18 @ 1xBet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 9.44
Event date: 20 October
