Don’t let Ozil control it, Pep warns holders
BAYERN Munich coach Pep Guardiola has ordered his Champions League holders to nullify Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil or risk the most unlikely of upsets tonight.
Guardiola believes the Gunners are the only team to better his all-conquering outfit this season, albeit for only nine minutes and in a first-leg match that Bayern went on to win 2-0.
Ozil remains the player the Spanish tactician fears most as he looks to cement a quarter-final spot, even though the former Real Madrid star missed a penalty when the sides last met.
“When I analyse Arsenal and the first game, we saw what happened until the penalty Ozil missed – they were the nine minutes in this season when the opponent was better against us,” said Guardiola.
“I do not want to see Ozil control the game. That will be a big problem for us. This is not an easy game. We have to attack, give our best, be aggressive without the ball.
“It’s a final, Arsenal know that, Ozil knows that. For one game, the player puts in everything. Ozil will give the best performance. We have to be prepared.”
BAYERN OMENS
Only twice in Champions League history has a team won away in the first leg and still crashed out
Bayern have won 21 of their last 24 home games in the competition, and are unbeaten in 49 Bundesliga games, including 16 straight wins
Arsenal have never progressed from a European tie of any description after losing the first leg at home