Bayern Confident Ahead of Champions League Clash With Arsenal

German giants Bayern Munich were in an upbeat mood ahead of Tuesday's last 16 Champions League clash with Arsenal in London.

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3 months ago

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Manuel Neuer, Arsene Wenger, Andre Santos

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SHOTLIST: LONDON, UK, 18 February 2013 Source: AFPTV -VAR press conference SOUNDBITE 1 Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich goalkeeper (German, 37 secs): "What I would like to say is that, first of all, when you're playing away from home, it's very important that you score a goal away from home. And we have shown that we're very strong when we play away, and that we don't actually concede goals. We have to be very strong in defence, but we have to be very careful because Arsenal have some very good players and good quality." -------------------------------------------- AFP TEXT STORIES: Fbl-Eur-C1-GER-Pr-ENG-Bayern-Arsenal-Neuer-offbeat Football: Bayern's four-finger Neuer gears up for Arsenal =(PICTURE)= BERLIN, Feb 17, 2013 (AFP) - Bayern Munich's record-breaking goalkeeper Manuel Neuer warmed-up for the German giants' Champions League clash at Arsenal on Tuesday with a special four-fingered glove after bruising his hand in training. Neuer wore the special glove in Friday's 2-0 win at VfL Wolfsburg and pulled off a stunning second-half save to halt Brazil midfielder Diego's curling free-kick for the Bundesliga leaders. The Germany shot-stopper wore the glove after hurting his right hand in training on Thursday and will be in the Bayern goal at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium for Tuesday's last 16, first-leg clash, having yet to concede a goal in 2013. Neuer has conceded just seven goals in the German league this season after 22 matches, a Bundesliga record, and is on course to break the league's record for the fewest goals in a season, when Bayern leaked just 21 in the 2007/08 season. Fbl-Eur-C1-ENG-GER-Arsenal-BayernMunich-Wenger Football: Wenger hits back at critics ahead of Bayern clash by Jon West =(PICTURE)= LONDON, Feb 18, 2013 (AFP) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger rounded angrily on his critics ahead of Tuesday's crucial Champions League last 16 first leg tie against Bayern Munich. Wenger was in a tetchy mood on Monday after suffering a barrage of abuse from fans and pundits following his side's FA Cup exit on Saturday, when the Gunners were beaten 1-0 at home by Championship side Blackburn. That represented the second humiliation of Arsenal's lacklustre campaign following their elimination from the League Cup at the hands of fourth-tier Bradford. After enduring 48 hours of criticism in the court of public opinion, Wenger made it clear he felt it was time for him to have his say, and that he expected his players to back up his words on the pitch against a Bayern side currently top of the Bundesliga thanks to 18 victories from 22 league games. "We play for Arsenal Football Club, we are in the last 16 of the Champions League, we have qualified for a long, long time," Wenger said at a pre-match press conference. "What is important is not what people say but what we produce on the football pitch. "We live in a democracy of experts and opinions and we have to live and cope with that. We have to show we have the mental strength to deal with any opinion. There are a lot of experts who are not always right." Many critics claimed Wenger was wrong to send out a starting line-up against Blackburn that had not included Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere or Santi Cazorla. But all three came on as substitutes with the game goal-less and Wenger refuted the accusation that he doesn't take the Cup seriously. "Look, I have been accused of not taking seriously the FA Cup on Saturday. I won the FA Cup four times," Wenger said. "Who has won it more? Give me one name. The second thing is that we have been accused of not putting a strong team out. "That is an insult to the players who started the game and we didn't lose the game with the players who started. We lost in the last 20 minutes. "There is a lot of superficial analysis that you cannot accept. We have to take the blame because we went out but for the rest you have to put it in perspective. One guy says something and everybody goes the same way." Despite Wenger's protests that he is unfairly treated, reports on Monday claimed the Frenchman was set to be given a new two-year contract. Yet even that story provoked an oddly angry reaction from Wenger. "That is the wrong information," he said. "I have worked for 16 years here in England and I deserve a bit more credit than wrong information. "That report had only one intention and that is to harm. It came from nowhere and is completely wrong." Wenger has a selection headache at the back as Laurent Koscielny is not fully fit at a time when Arsenal's defensive ranks have been depleted by the absence of all three left-backs. New recruit Nacho Monreal is cup-tied in the Champions League, Kieran Gibbs is injured and Andre Santos has been sent out on loan. Arsenal have been guilty of poor starts to games in the Premier League against some of the bigger clubs, conceding early goals against Manchester City and Chelsea and Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta is keen to put that right. "In the last few big games in the first 20 or 25 minutes we gave the opposition too much respect," he said. "We want to face a different scenario, If you score first then you have a chance of winning." German forward Lukas Podolski is likely to start against his former club but Wenger hasn't felt the need to quiz him for information. "Podolski has not played for a long time at Bayern Munich and the team has changed since," he said. str/smg/nr13