After the big decision of dropping Alexis Sanchez to the bench against Liverpool backfired spectacularly, will Arsene Wenger decide against starting his best player again when Arsenal host Bayern Munich in what is essentially a dead rubber in the Champions League?
Why it is time for Arsene Wenger to go
With Bayern Munich winning the first leg of this Champions League last 16 encounter 5-1, all Arsenal can hope to do with this home game is save some face.
The 5-1 defeat led to increased calls for Arsene Wenger to step down as Arsenal manager and those calls have only intensified, following a defeat to Liverpool, in which the team, yet again, showed a lack of fight and substance for the job at hand.
That was also the match when Wenger left Sanchez on the bench, before bringing Arsenal's top scorer on in the second half. The Arsenal manager insisted the decision was purely tactical, but reports later suggested Sanchez had stormed out of a training session in the build-up to the game and the striker has also had issues with Wenger.
While Wenger denied those reports, it is quite clear all is not well in the Arsenal camp at the moment and when asked if Sanchez would be restored back to the starting lineup for the game against Bayern, the Frenchman was tight-lipped.
"I haven't decided yet (is Sanchez will start), you will have to come to the game," Wenger told reporters on Monday. "I make that decision tomorrow morning."
While the big team news story remains Sanchez, Arsenal will definitely be without their other world-class player Mesut Ozil. The Germany international was ill last week and having only just returned to training, Wenger doesn't feel he is ready to be a part of this Champions League match.
"He is not in the squad, he only had one session yesterday and he was sick – he was out the whole of last week and I don't think he is ready physically to be in the squad."
There are no new injuries, which means the rest of the squad makeup should be along the same lines. Mohamed Elneny, Per Mertesacker and Santi Cazorla are the other absentees for Arsenal.
Carlo Ancelotti has the luxury of picking a second-string side – who you feel will still be too strong for Arsenal – if he wants considering Bayern Munich hold a four-goal advantage from the first leg. Philipp Lahm and Jerome Boateng will definitely miss out through suspension and injury respectively, while No.1 goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is a doubt with a calf problem.
Possible starting XI:
Arsenal: Ospina; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Xhaka, Ramsey; Walcott, Iwobi, Welbeck; Sanchez.
Bayern Munich: Ulreich; Rafinha, Martinez, Hummels, Alaba; Alonso, Thiago; Robben, Muller, Costa; Lewandowski.
