Lukas Podolski has spoken about tonight’s game against Bayern Munich and admitted it’s going to be a tough task to overcome the German giants.
Podolski scored last season at the Emirates against his former club but is likely to be on the bench tonight. He’s urged his teammates to go for the early goal like they got in the second leg last season and to take heart from the 11 man performance at home last month.
“It will not be easy, especially going into the match 2-0 down from the first leg,” he told Bild. “Right now they are maybe the best club team in the world.
“But the first 15 minutes during the first leg have shown that they can be stopped. We must stake everything on one card. We need to go into the match aggressively and be physical and then score the goals.”
He also touched on the rumours that emerged in January that he could be used as a makeweight in a deal for Julian Draxler, along with Arsenal’s interest in the Schalke wonderkid.
“Every top player is interesting for Arsenal, Draxler is definitely one of them,” he said.
“But what those in charge are planning, I can’t say. All I know is: An exchange transaction Podolski for Draxler, as has been described in some media, was never an issue.
“I have contact with Julian, he’s a good boy. But we haven’t yet spoken about a change.”
I would love to start poldi instead of cazorla in the left wing. He will be more direct.
Are you nuts?!
Carzola is FINALLY beginning to sync with Özil and I for one would like to think it will flourish tonight!
Podolski for cazorla?!?! Are you a bayern fan in disguise?!
That comment will keep me going untill lunch…….
You can aswell start gnabry ahead of the ox
I like podolski very much and I always get a light pang of sadness whenever I see that podolski isn’t on the team sheet. But thinking logically, even we can see that cazorla is a better choice right now. I think the problem with podolski is whether due to fitness issues or age, he doesn’t have the pace right now. You give the ball to him in a yard of space anywhere within 20 yards of goal, he is More likely than not to finish it. But he currently doesn’t have the pace to make runs behind defenses, so I… Read more »
started or benched, Podolski will make a great contribution today. The first leg was robbed off him because of Szcz’s sending off. He must have been exuberantly determined to make up for that.
Podi, just burst their net.
I think we should play the same team we played against Everton, except Szcezc and Giroud in for Fab and Yaya
Szcezc is out because of the red card. It’s Fabianski with Viviano on the bench for sure.
I agree on Giroud.
Gibbs is also out—I’m not sure whether I like Flamini or Vermaelen better on the left.
I kind of wish we would just go with three at the back to throw a wrench into things—would look brilliant if it worked…
Szczesny? Do you engage you brain before you post?
Obviously didn’t
“Was never an issue” does he mean it was never a problem and an exchange could happen or does it mean it was never brought up as an idea?
In the Bild interview, he said an exchange “war nie ein Thema”, i.e. it was never a topic or point of conversation.
Probably just pre match optimism but I feel like we might pull off a shock tonight. Think they’ll put in a performance to be proud of at least. This team doesnt lack heart.
I think a shock would be anything other than a loss the way Bayern are playing. If we had our best 11 fit we would give them a good game but missing 3 or 4 key players, it’s going to be difficult. Whatever happens we need to appreciate the extenuating circumstances around this match and leave the dooming to the media should we fail to progress. I wouldn’t exactly say we have bigger fish to fry but there’s a salmon fillet in the fridge courtesy of Wigan, winning the CL at this point is the equivalent of flying to Germany… Read more »
Sorry but I cannot agree. The very fact that we are about to face Wigan in the semi final of the FA cup rather than a team EVERYONE was expecting should be enough proof that football is a funny old game and anything can happen, especially with the Arsenal in the mix. We should throw everything at this match because no team is impenetrable, no odds unbeatable, if you believe!
COYG!!!!!!!!
I’ll take the team that started against everton, Monreal for the injured gibbs and kos for capt Verm, then around the 70mins mark regardless of the scoreline bring on the trio of gnabry,poldoski and rosicky! Bayerns weak spot? “RUN AT DANTE AND BOATENG” and watch what happens, we realy need to ox the be giving the license to run at dante and boateng force free kicks and bookings from them when they are cautioned they are vulnerable, how i wish we had theo and justplay him through the middle with ozil and cazorla behind him the bayern defence would either… Read more »
Monreal is injured, too.
“We need to go into the match aggressively and be physical and then score the goals”
Oh if only we had a BFG, an Ox, a serial killer in midfield and 3 or 4 of the best and most creative midfielders in the world….
oohhh… maybe
Bayern 1 Arsenal 3….a reverse of last yr.
hehe
I’m not going to watch the game but I wish the boys the best of luck.
I wonder why there are so many thumb-downs on this comment. He could miss the match for a number of reasons. Not because he wants to, but because he probably doesn’t have a choice. He could be on a job or something. Some people eh…
It’s just the way he says it – I’m not going to watch the game. Sounds like an intentional choice, on principle or something!
I’m not going to be watching it sounds a bit more like its forced by circumstance…
Aww too bad, I wouldn’t miss it for the world, AND I got a baby on the way !!
Thats just sad bro….you’re baby definitely is more important. I love The Arsenal and everything but if my baby was on the way , I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Heh , what do I know I’m 16 anyway.
Its just a joke bro calm down
If Arsenal had half as many cunts as Barçelona, we would have signed Draxler, what with our German contingent pulling the ‘jersey wearing’ tricks on him. But then again, we’re a club with class. We’re not some tax-evading club.
Now to Munich, let’s beat the crap out of those bullies. COYG!
We have got the legs to beat this team I’m praying for a fair ref !!
We will take them. I’m from the Mickey Thomas generation. Brought up to believe that Liverpool’s invincibility meant we could never go there and win 0-2. To watch Micky score meant at last, even in the face of indescribable odds, I always have Mickey-faith in knowing that things are achievable. What I loved was he didn’t scrabble it over the line, he didn’t bundle it in, with more pressure than anything since upon his shoulders, he waited till Grobbelar committed himself then slotted it home. No pressure. That is us tonight.
I hereby nominate ‘Micky-faith’ to the official Arsenal lexicon. ‘Faith that to outsiders appears Mickey Mouse, though which is in reality Mickey Thomas.’
That has to be ‘Faith that to those not of the red and white cloth…..’
Only arsenal can knock them out. Coyg
We played well against Everton. During that game there were really good opportunities for Lukaku to score (ox got back to tackle) and Barkley shooting inches over the bar. If that was bayern they would have been more clinical and probably scored. The situation we have tonight is we can’t afford to concede so we will have to watch the counterattack and hope flamini doesn’t get an early yellow. I reckon we will give them a good run for their money as we were doing well with 11 on the pitch last game. COYG
balls to the walls defending and 110% pace and directness on counter attacks. try something new today, long ball if you have to…you never know, it might surprise then since they probably train to keep us out of possession.
I can’t see Draxler ever pulling on a arsenal shirt! The buyout clause is far too much for Wenger to justify. Personally I would like to see him in an arsenal shirt, but he is more likely to go for Remy. 8 mill is the sort of bargain Wenger loves to lap up. As for tonight’s game. I think they will turn us over, Unfortunately. We never had a good time at camp nou when pep was their and I can’t see anything changing now he is at bayern. I hope I’m wrong. I would love nothing more than seeing… Read more »
Weak link?
Say that to my face.
Go on, I dares ya.
If you do have the cojones to do so, you will never see, taste or walk again; that, I can guarantee.
I don’t mind saying to your face Mr Flamini. I doubt you could pull yourself away from boiling your parents to come and get me.
PEACE!!!!!!!
With Sp*rs Sunday we don’t want this game to go into extra time. with that in mind four goals in the first 10 minutes should do it.
Just don’t need a cunt faced ref to send off our players. We are the better team!
COYG! Bayern is shit!!
Wenger: “I have never heard of Julianne Draxuler”
In the words of the immortal Lieutenant The Honourable George Colthurst St. Barleigh, “Time to give Fritz a taste of our good old English Spunk!” Come On Chambo! Explode all over ze Germans! Up The Arse!
I’m quite prepared that tonight may be our last night of European football till next year. If that’s how it ends, so be it. But I want to be able to say we tried, and got at least a fair throw of the dice where the ref and the luck are concerned. On the other hand I’d just love it if we could pull it off. Never forgotten that 1-5 win at Milan. We all know that in a cup competition, anything can happen and often does. Plenty of people are talking of a 1-3 scoreline today, and yes, that… Read more »
“He looks up for Kanu, he looks up for Henry, now they’re roaring!!”
One of my sad regrets with Wenger is that he hasn’t tried to convert Poldi into a top CF. Maybe he thinks he’s better off on the wings. But I think he should’ve worked with him on his hold up skills and off the ball runs. Ah well sigh…
I’ve just noticed something. In the Team News on arsenal.com it only says Koscielny is back in the squad, it doesn’t say he’s fit to start. Also, in the Bayern v. Arsenal Preview, in the grey box ‘Team News’, Kos is listed as ‘doubtful’. It doesn’t sound promising. We could see a back four of Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Sagna. Actually, nothing wrong with that…
Last 3 games bayern played against english opponents. Lost to chelski on penalty, lost to us 2-0 n lost to oil shitty 3-2.
Podolski is an awesome player, i believe Mr Wenger knows better than I do so I will leave team selection to him. I have tried but am not very optimistic for this match, anyway I’ll watch & see.
If we’re up 1-0 with about 20 minutes left, Podolski would be the perfect impact sub to get us the goal to go to overtime!