Ramsey eyes Champions League upset.
Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey believes Bayern Munich will ‘panic’ if the Gunners apply pressure early in tonight’s Champions League last-16 second leg.
The Gunners travel to Bavaria trailing 2-0 from the clash at the Emirates Stadium and overwhelming favourites to exit the competition at the same stage, and to the same opponents, as last season.
Bayern have won 16 consecutive league games in the Bundesliga and have lost just three home European matches in their last 24. But one of those was to Arsenal, who won 2-0 in the Allianz Arena last season but lost on away goals after a 3-1 first leg defeat.
Arsene Wenger’s side remain the last team to have stopped Bayern from scoring but they must find the net at least twice tonight to have a chance of progressing, and Ramsey says early pressure will be the key to a shock victory.
“We have proven it before — everyone wrote us off when they beat us 3-1 at home and we got a couple of goals and they were nervous,” Ramsey told the Evening Standard.
“We had chances to score the third as well. Any side will panic if you put the pressure on them and Bayern are no different.”
Arsenal lost the first leg after Wojciech Szczesny was sent off for a foul on Arjen Robben and although David Alaba put the resulting penalty wide, Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller scored to put Pep Guardiola’s side in full control of the tie.
It could have been so different for the hosts though, after Mesut Ozil saw his early spot kick saved by Germany teammate Manuel Neuer.
Ramsey believes Arsenal must replicate the fast start they made at the Emirates Stadium in Munich but admitted Bayern are a brilliant side.
“They are a great side but I thought, in the first 15 minutes of the first leg, we were quite breathtaking at times and we had a few opportunities early on which you have to take against a team like that. Up until we missed the penalty, I thought we were the better side. Things happened then, like the sending off, that changed the game completely.
“Playing against Bayern Munich with a man down is tough — it is hard enough when you have 11 men on the pitch.”
The 23-year-old added: “They used the extra man extremely well, kept their wide players very wide, which stretched us, and moved the ball well.
“The second goal was disappointing in the end because if we had gone in 1-0 down, we would have been more than happy with that considering the circumstances but we have been there and won 2-0 before.
“We are confident, we will go into the game knowing anything can happen in football. We are looking forward to it.”
Ramsey will not be fit for the match but could return for Saturday’s North London derby with Tottenham at White Hart Lane.