Player Battles at the Emirates:

With the Champions League all set to return to action this week, 18 Yard Box takes a look at one of the most anticipating clashes of the round. The promising clash has the Gunners facing the giants from Munich, who are still reeling from their defeat in the final to Chelsea in last years' edition .

Presenting the key player battles that could decide the match.

Bacary Sagna v/s Franck Ribery:
 
This is one battle that could prove to be the most vital. Ribery's form is vital to Bayern's penetration down the left flank and Wenger, aware of that will certainly warn Sagna about his fellow Frenchman.
 

The French Connection

Ribery, whose absence in the Final last year proved disastrous to the Bundesliga leaders, seems to get better and better all the time and with full-back David Alaba to back him up, Sagna will surely have a lot to do on the night. If he is able to cut off the provisions to Mario Mandzukic from this talismanic winger, Sagna will claim to have done his job well. For that to happen though, he will not only have to maintain his concentration at all times, but will also need to be positioned properly. Further assistance from Walcott who hardly tracks back will surely be needed. 

The 5’ 7’’ Frenchman’s pace, skill and vision could well prove to be Arsenal’s undoing, and Sagna, one of the best RBs in the EPL, will surely have to put his best performance till now this season to stop him. On the face of it though, in current form, this clash is Ribery’s to lose.

Lukas Podolski v/s Philip Lahm:

If on one flank we will witness a irresistible a French battle, the other flank will showcase the two German's, Podolski and Lahm. Podolski, who will be facing his former team, where he never really settled, will look to prove himself with good creativity for the Gunners. 
 

An all German Affair

In his short span as a Londoner, he has not only endeared himself to the fans with his fantastic displays upfront,but also with his able assistance while defending. Against one of the best right-back's in the world, though, he will have a far tougher time than he has against his domestic opponents. 

Philip Lahm, on the other hand, will also surely be wary of Podolski as he goes about organizing his sides' defense which, in realty is not the strongest in the world, but are yet putting stubborn performances on display. 

Rest assured, he himself will be confident of his adept passing and positioning skills as he attempts to thwart Podolski. It may finally boil down to a test of speed, skill and guile for both and only a rather unusal off night from either of the two will throw up a clear winner.

Jack Wilshere v/s Bastian Schweinsteiger: 

Schweinsteiger will look to control the flow of play from the centre of the park

Regardless of the fact that Arsenal midfield does not click every single time and has to deal with inconsistency every now and then, it still is a midfield to die for. Not every team has the luxury of creators like Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere along with the ball winning defensive shields like Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby. 

Arsenal, who have to deal with the attacking threat of Toni Kroos, while still needing to get past the Spanish- German duo of Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger, have to get the combination in the middle of the park right. With immaculate passing and vision, Schweinsteiger could be the danger man both in attacks and also in defense, being the Bavarian mid-field’s heart for close to a decade. 

The only way to nullify his presence in the game will be to run each of his passes down and there can certainly be no better man to do this than Wilshere. It will surely be a fight to savor as the young Englishman will have to prove his might against a midfield which has conceded only 15 times while scoring 84 goals in all competitions. The outcome of this clash could very wellbe dependent on which teams' midfeild comes out on top. The strength, height and experience will give the German only a slight edge.

Written By,

Abhishek Karandikar.

Abhishek is a contributor at 18 Yard Box.