The air of resignation would have been palpable when news trickled in to the Arsenal players, in training at the time, that they would be playing Bayern Munich again in the last 16 of the Champions League. Arsene Wenger would have probably had a slight, wistful shake of the head as well, but he is looking for some divine intervention and fate to help his team get past the dreaded round of 16 stage.
For six years now Arsenal have failed to go past the first round of the competition, losing to AC Milan, Barcelona, Monaco and Bayern Munich. Arsenal have drawn two of Europe's powerhouses -- Barca and Bayern – twice at this stage and this will be the third time in four seasons that the Premier League club will face the Bundesliga champions in the last 16.
Arsenal finished second behind Bayern in the group stages last season, so this is an opponent that Wenger is quite familiar with. The manager believes the fact that Arsenal finished first in their group this time around gives them a lesser sense of guilt and extra bit of confidence.
"They said they made the world in seven days, this is the seventh day for us, so we have to get a special day," Wenger said.
"We are all here to change history and to make history so we have to change what happened before. And make it better."
The Frenchman also believes the fact that the second leg will be played at Arsenal's home this time, instead of the first, could also work in the club's favour. Too many times, Arsenal have tried too hard to make an impact in the first leg, only to pretty much give away the tie at home, with the second leg, more often than not, turning out to be the stage for a glorious exit.
"Many times we were in a position where we played at home and we wanted to make the difference and after 10 minutes we conceded a goal and after you think already, 'Oh no'. This time the advantage is that we play first away from home," Wenger added.
"If we can keep our strength away from home that can help us – let's have a good first game then we can finish the job at home."
Bayern host Arsenal on February 15, before the return leg will be played at the Emirates on March 7.
