Champions League round of 16 power rankings
By James Dudko
6. Arsenal
The Gunners are already well adrift in the Premier League title race after exhibiting all the frailties that have defined the north London club since 2004. In many ways, Arsenal’s 2016-17 campaign came off the rails once Arsene Wenger’s team was handed yet another draw against Bayern.
Nightmare ties have become the norm for the Gunners in the last 16. Since 2010, Wenger’s men have been drawn against Barcelona twice, Bayern twice, AC Milan and Monaco.
Avoiding a seventh-straight exit at this stage seems unlikely, even though Arsenal topped their group ahead of PSG. Back then, Alexis Sanchez was firing in the goals and Mesut Ozil was looking every inch the player who cost £42.4 million in 2013.
But now Sanchez has been off the boil, while Ozil’s sluggish form has people thinking up ways to replace him. At least Wenger still has plenty of other attacking talent to call on.
Danny Welbeck has looked sharp on his return from injury, as has Theo Walcott. Meanwhile, Spaniard Lucas Perez has consistently displayed technical artistry in the final third.
Sadly, the cupboard is bare in midfield, where Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey are injured. Things are just as suspect defensively due to keeper Petr Cech’s shaky showings and a back four seemingly always in chaos.
Arsenal are capable of beating Bayern; they’ve done it before. But the omens aren’t good for this year’s group to match the victories of 2013 and 2015.