19th February, 2013
Jupp Heynckes said Bayern Munich of Germany intend to heap more woes on Arsenal and condemn them to another trophyless season.
The Bayern Munich coach is convinced the German giants will end Arsene Wenger’s Champions League dream in the last 16.
And that will leave the Gunners empty-handed for an eighth campaign. Bayern and the Gunners will lock horns in a Champions League cracker at the Emirates, London tonight.
Heynckes said: “If we play to our ability I am confident we will win at Arsenal. We’re confident we will go through.”
Bayern are out to end a run of just two years without silverware. Heynckes added: “We have to do something about that. The players really have focus and are hungry.
“Arsenal are very good team, especially going forward, so we have to stand very tight in defence and then work our way forward. They’ve got a lot of tradition and history – they stand for passing football. They’re fifth in the league and they will be a very different opponent for us. You can really see how Wenger’s teams play as they have a real style and dynamic. I don’t have a result I wish for as such, but I think that we can win if we play at our very top level.”
But Wenger is optimistic that his young Gunners will have a breakthrough in the face of stiff opposition in the European league.
“I have the experience to know it’s played over 180 minutes. We must put in our head that we have 180 minutes to qualify – we must not rush our game. It’s important to play to win the competition and at some stage we’ll therefore come up against good teams. I trust our quality, I trust our spirit and I trust our mental strength.
“It’s important we play with belief; we’re on a good run overall. The fact is that we’ve lost two of our last 11 league games. We have a way to play that everybody knows – we play with a positive mentality. We have the quality to win and the psychological aspect is more important than anything else. What’s important is to forget what people say and play to our strengths.
“We are playing for Arsenal Football Club in the last 16 of the Champions League. We have to show we have mental strength.
We’ve been consistently in the last 16, but what we want now is to breakthrough. I think it’s a fantastic opportunity to do that because I believe we have a strong team,” Wenger cheered up his team.