Lukas Podolski believes that Arsenal are capable of turning their Champions League tie around if they perform “aggressively” against Bayern Munich.
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Podolski, 28, sat on the bench the full 90 minutes in the Gunners’ 2-0 first-leg defeat to Bayern but could start on Tuesday, when Arsenal hope to upset the European champions at the Allianz Arena.
Arsene Wenger’s side pressed hard from the off in the first leg as Manuel Neuer saved an early Mesut Ozil penalty, and Podolski -- who made 71 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern from 2006 to 2009 -- believes a speedy start will be key again if the Gunners are to repeat the 2-0 victory they achieved away to the Bavarians at the same stage of the competition last season.
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caption:Lukas Podolski played for Bayern Munich between 2006 and 2009.
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“It will not be easy, especially going into the match 2-0 down from the first leg,” Podolski said to Bild when asked about his side’s chances of stopping Bayern. “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."
This season, Bayern have been defeated just once in all competitions, when Manchester City won 3-2 at the Allianz Arena in their final Champions League group stage.
It appeared they were at risk of another loss last weekend, when Wolfsburg led 1-0 after 17 minutes having attacked Bayern from the off. However, a first-half equaliser and then a second-half blitz that saw five goals scored in 17 minutes, including two from substitute Mario Mandzukic, saw Guardiola’s side run out convincing 6-1 winners.