SoccerBlogs

There is nothing wrong with a little bit of hope, and it is a fact that if you believe you have no chance then you may as well not even turn up for the game. So on that premise Arsene Wenger has to get his players to believe that they can come back and score at least three goals in Munich to take Arsenal through to the last eight of the Champions League.

It would be a very brave man that would bet on Arsenal to make it through to the next round of the Champions League after last night's home defeat by Bayern Munich, and it seems that Arsene Wenger has surprisingly agreed with them, although he thinks there is a "hope" we can go through.

Wenger said: "Let's not hide the truth: it will be extremely difficult against a team of that quality.

A Case for the Arsenal defence by Dan S

When Per Mertesacker twice inexplicably played Spurs onside to score against Arsenal at the beginning of March, few thought he would end up one of our heroes in the race for 4th. Nor Laurent Koscielny, who was on the bench at White Hart Lane having spent much of the season as our third choice centre back.

It is normal for Arsenal fans to have two things to worry about at this part of the season. Firstly, there is the annual race to get into the Champions League places for next season, which has been tighter than ever this season and looks like it will be decided on the final day. Two wins against Wigan Athletic and Newcastle United will guarantee that we finish above Tottenham, but those wins will be far from easy.

Bayern rumoured to want Koscielny by SS

New Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has reportedly made a move for Arsenal centre back Laurent Koscielny. It is reported that the Germans have enquired into how much Arsenal want for the player. Guardiola has capped the transfer sum at £20 Million, which seems like a good offer from my personal point of view but manager Arsene Wenger has fended Bayern off and is refusing to negotiate, according to Goal.

If Arsene Wenger holds any serious hope of signing Robert Lewandowski for Arsenal, he had better get his skates on and talk to somebody at the strikers club Borussia Dortmund. The general manager of the Bundesliga team, Michael Zorc, told the Kicker that they would hold on to their star until his contract finished in 2014 if they could not get a transfer sorted out by May.

How Ramsey will be integral for Arsenal in years to come by KJ

Aaron Ramsey has always caused controversy amongst the Gunners fans. Some say he's finished and needs to be sold as soon as possible, others feel he needs to be given a chance as he's only young and the final faction think that he's talented and has handled his first two proper seasons after his injury very well.

Arsene Wenger is the man who picks the Arsenal squad and starting eleven, and sometimes he makes changes that people don't agree with. Facing an uphill struggle against Bayern Munich with a 3-1 deficit from the home leg, you can understand that Wenger, being realistic, doesn't expect Arsenal to progress to the quarter-finals.

The manager and the captain have half-heartedly warned against complacency when Arsenal arrive in Munich tomorrow, but the general feeling in the Bayern Munich camp seems to be that the job is done and they just need to turn up at the Allianz Arena to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Arsene Wenger is bot hiding from the fact that Arsenal are facing an uphill struggle against one of the best sides in Europe in the attempt to reach the quarter finals of the Champions League. He has spoken about the mentality of his team when they fave the Germans and feels that some ambition and optimism is the only way to go.

The Ivorian striker Gervinho is well aware that Arsenal have a mountain to climb if they are to overturn a 3-1 deficit in Germany in midweek. Bayern Munich are certainly one of the most consistent teams in Europe right now, but Gervinho believes that the Gunners can still turn it around in the away leg.

Arsenal have not had many reasons to smile recently. Just over two weeks ago, Blackburn produced a smash and grab to send them out of the FA cup, which was the only realistic hope of ending the trophy drought which the media is so fond of reminding everybody about. A derby defeat is always painful, but this latest one also leaves Arsenal with a lot to do to qualify for the Champions League next season.

I am sure that Many Arsenal fans, and the coaching staff as well, watched the German cup match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich last night, hoping for some sign of weakness or some tips on how best to go about overturning the 3-1 home defeat when we travel to the Allianz Arena on March 13th to try to salvage our Champions League dreams.

With Nacho Monreal being cup-tied for tonight's Champions League match against Bayern Munich, there was a big worry that Arsenal's defence would be even weaker than usual.

But Arsene Wenger has given us an update on the injury situation and although Laurent Koscielny is still doubtful to make the starting XI, we have Per Mertesacker, Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna and Carl Jenkinson all available to be spread around the back four.

Arsene Wenger has already acknowledged that Arsenal did not play well enough on Saturday. He has not taken refuge in bemoaning his luck, despite the fact that the Gunners dominated the game throughout and fell victim to a flukey goal that was one of only two attempts on target by Blackburn Rovers.

The vice-captain of Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, knows that it is vital for Arsenal to start strongly in tomorrow's game against Bayern Munich. Against the runaway leaders of the German Bundesliga, the Gunners cannot afford to give away anything easy, but we should also remember that there is more pressure on Bayern to succeed than there is on Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger has denied reports that the Arsenal board have offered him a two year extension to his current contract at the club, and suggested that whoever began the false rumour is trying to damage the Gunners. It was the Sun that ran the story, which Wenger was asked about in today's press conference ahead of the Champions league tie against Bayern Munich.

Arsene Wenger has made no secret of the fact that he views qualification for the Champions league as a hugely important target for Arsenal every season. With the Gunners being the only possible side ti win the European cup from outside the top four Premier league places, that means that fourth place is the target for Wenger this season, although he would obviously prefer second or third.

Arsene Wenger has a bit of a dilemma to deal with, as Arsenal are fighting on three fronts. He does not want to risk aggravating any injuries in the FA cup and Champions league games because of the close battle with Chelsea, Tottenham and Everton for a top four spot. The Champions league is the really prestigious competition, and it brings much more revenue than the domestic cup competition, so the temptation would be to field a weakened team against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, especially as they are very hot favourites to win the game with MyBettingSites.

Arsenal got the crucial and hard fought win they needed at Sunderland, and answered a lot of critics at the same time. It would have been nice if Chelsea or Tottenham dropped points, and they both came close, but at least we didn't lose any ground and can now put the pressure of the league aside for a week or so and focus on staying in the two cup competitions.

Arsene Wenger has been in Germany in the last few days, sparking speculation and rumours that he is about to make the first Arsenal signing of the transfer window. After Wenger ruling out any move for the 20-yeat old winger Wilfried Zaha, and Newcastle apparently on the verge of completing the transfer of Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa from Montpellier, two mkore potential additions to the Arsenal squad have passed us by.

I suppose it could have been slightly worse as Alex Ferguson's Man United have drawn Real Madrid (and Ronaldo!), but Bayern Munich are also one of the hardest ties that Arsenal could have got.

The German teams seem to have improved drastically in the last couple of seasons and historically Bayern Munich have usually been the best of the bunch, highlighted by their unlucky defeat to Chelsea in the Final last May.

Champion's League: What are Arsenal's Chances in The Last 16 by SN

December 20, yes it's the date for 2012-13 Champion's league knock out final 16 draw. And we would be playing against any of these clubs. Paris St Germain, Malaga, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Bayern Munich or the mighty Barcelona.

Bayern Munich vs Schalke 4-0 Highlights 2013 Alaba penalty Schweinsteiger Gomez Goals Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Today is the 55th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. They might be gone but they will never be forgotten.

In you want to learn more about Munich and the Busby Babes, then check out Munich58.co.uk and United Front.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has ben speaking to BBC Sport about the Munich disaster and spoke about how he is still affected by the Munich air crash, 55 years on from the disaster.