The Manchester City and Barcelona matchup did not go quite as many expected. The English side stayed strong for the majority of the game's opening half but faltered after a red card and a goal from Lionel Messi. After a 2-0 win, Barcelona has all but clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.
The other big match of the week is slated to take place Wednesday when Bayern Munich and Arsenal lock horns. The tie is a repeat of last season's round of 16 matchup when Munich won 3-1 at the Emirates before losing 2-0 at home. The aggregate was tied but the away goals favored the German side, which went on to win the entire tournament.
This year's matchup features two significantly different sides. Here is how Munich and Arsenal look heading into Wednesday's first leg.
Arsenal
The Gunners are arguably one of the big surprises of the 2013-14 season. Manager Arsene Wenger made few changes to his squad this past summer but the addition of Mesut Ozil seemed to spark the team to a hot start in the Premier League. The team managed to remain atop the league for most of the season, but has recently fallen off the top spot due to some weak performances against Liverpool and Manchester United. However, Arsenal remains in the run for first place and could very well make some noise in this game against Munich.
Ozil's play has not been as good of late, but he could be motivated to make a statement against some of his national teammates.
Arsenal relies on speed and passing in the midfield, but will likely be forced to play a more aggressive defensive style against Munich's possession game.
Bayern Munich
Pep Guardiola has essentially taken the same group of Champions from 2012-13 and transformed their game into a more well-rounded one. The speed is still there but Guardiola has stressed possession and passing. Some key players have been moved about the midfield, creating more flexibility and a more unpredictable attack.
This Munich side has lost one game all season and has been efficient in breaking down opponents offensively.
Arsenal Wins If...
The team manages to utilize its home field advantage and presses Munich in the midfield. A faster game benefits Arsenal, but it must tidy up its defense and avoid the collapses it exhibited against Liverpool a few weeks ago. Olivier Giroud needs to be a presence up front in order for his team to be dangerous. Manchester City's win over Munich was the result of a strong physical presence; Arsenal needs to be strong on the ball.
Bayern Munich Wins If...
It controls the pace and midfield. Arsenal is useless without the ball and should present little difficulty for a disciplined side like Guardiola's. The team has never really looked weak this entire year and it is hard to imagine them suddenly falling apart.
Key Player of the Match: If Arsenal is going to win this game it needs Ozil to be at the top of his game. The German is arguably the most dangerous player on the field when he is at the top of his game; Frank Ribery may be the only other man with the same amount of decisiveness at the peak of his powers. Ozil has tremendous creativity and could unlock any defense with minimal difficulty. Of course, he has not been in peak form for months and this could be a huge problem for Arsenal.
The game can be streamed live on Fox Soccer 2 Go.
Kickoff gets underway at 2:45 p.m. EST.
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