It's the fourth matchday of Champions League group stage, and Bayern Munich have to host England side Arsenal in the Allianz Arena.
Bayern look to gain further ground in the group
Bayern Munich are currently in first position in group F, but level on points with Olympiakos, and only three points above Dinamo Zagreb and upcoming opponent Arsenal. The group is a very tight one and every match is a struggle for qualification.
After the loss in the last meeting against Arsenal, Bayern have to right it in this match now and want to generate a little distance between the others. For Bayern, it would be a horror scenario if Zagreb could see off Olympiakos and Arsenal beat Bayern Munich in their own stadium. The group would then see all four teams level on six points.
So, Munich need a good performance from all players to beat the second-placed Premier League side.
Philipp Lahm, Javi Martinez, coach Pep Guardiola and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge emphasised that this meeting is "very important" and with a loss, "the Bavarians also can get into difficulties."
Arsenal need a win
The situtation for Arenal is even harder at the moment. In the domestic league the club is currently on the second place with a winnig streak of five matches, but in tournaments like the Capital One Cup or UEFA Champions League the London club struggle.
In Capital One Cup they lost with 3-0 against Sheffield Wednesday and in the Champions League group they are the bottom side.
Arsenal still have the connection to their opponents and only three points divorce the first and the last. Last meeting they had won against Bayern with 2-0, but this were the first three-pointer in this year's Champions League group stage for the English.
Coach Arsene Wenger said that "his team have done well in the difficult weeks before and it should give the players belief." He added that this meeting give Arsenal a good opportunity to show that they have moved forward.
Arsenal will try everything for a win
Bayern Munich have to be careful with their opponent, Arsenal have to win this match and as coach Wenger already said, "he want to see his players giving 100 per cent".
Definitely Munich is the favourite, but as we had seen in previous meeting, Arsenal can spring a suprise and beat the German record champion, so this will another Champions League evening in group F with a real cracker.
Also the suspense from the other match, Olympiakos against Zagreb, will be a little factor in this match. A draw in the match in Greece would be good for Munich and Arsenal, but if this match will find also a winner as it might find in Munich against Arsenal, the players might change their emotions on the pitch and kick things up a notch.