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Wenger - We can stun Bayern in Munich

Arsene Wenger has not given up on a place in the last eight of the Champions League - despite facing an uphill task in Munich.

Bayern will take a 2-0 lead into the second leg at the Allianz Arena on March 11 after capitalising on Wojciech Szczesny's red card to win at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.

But Arsenal won 2-0 in Munich last season and showed enough in the opening stages of this year's first leg to suggest they can cause Bayern problems in Germany.

"I am confident we can produce a stunning result over there. It is down to scoring the first goal, and after that anything is possible"

"I haven’t given up on that," said Wenger. "It is disappointing and difficult statistically, not likely to happen, but in football we have seen worse things. We can play again, why not, against 10 men after 20 minutes - you never know.

"What is important is that we are in good shape mentally before we go there and have good results [behind us] and have a go. I am confident we can produce a stunning result over there. It is down to scoring the first goal, and after that anything is possible."

Understandably, the Arsenal players were deflated after Wednesday's defeat, but Wenger believes they can take heart from their performance.

"When you put so much energy in, to concede a goal in the last minute… of course they were down. They have not adjusted to the result, but I believe in this kind of game you want the quality of the performance and the right result at the end.

"The players can be proud because they put in the quality of the performance but frustrated because we didn't get the result that we wanted. Overall we have to transfer the positives of this game into our end of season and get on with it and try to reverse it in the second leg at Bayern.

"Immediately after a game like that, yesterday morning, 24 hours later, basically you are still in the game. What is in front of us is so exciting, I think that will lift the players again.

"You cannot fool the players. You know they have put the performance in, and the pride of the performance is always a good basis to rebuild confidence and excitement for the next game. That is vital.

"I'm more focused on Sunderland at the moment, but what is for sure, I will do the maximum to get them up [for the second leg], to build a high level of belief."

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