Arsene Wenger says Arsenal must prepare their minds to "make the impossible possible" in the Champions League.
The Gunners are as long as 40/1 with some bookmakers to overcome a 3-1 first-leg deficit and qualify for the quarter-finals at Bayern Munich's expense on Wednesday night.
Wenger acknowledges the size of Arsenal's task at the Allianz Arena but he believes a positive mental attitude can give his players a fighting chance.
"We’re chasing the game in a very difficult environment against a team that has no doubts at all," the manager told Arsenal Player.
"We have to try to put them on the back foot. Subconsciously anyway, they think they are through and we have to subconsciously think that we can do it"
Arsene Wenger
"But our mentality is to go there, not resigned, but ambitious and provoke things, not go there and think ‘we will not qualify anyway’. No, not at all. We will go to Munich and have to go there and give ourselves a chance to qualify with everybody believing we can do it.
"We have to behave on the football pitch like a team who wants to do it. That will be the task in the preparation. How will we go into the game tactically? I haven’t decided yet. It will be with an ambitious plan, that is for sure."
Wenger has overseen a number of famous European triumphs, including wins at Real Madrid and both Milan clubs. Last season's corresponding fixture ended in a 3-0 win over AC Milan - a scoreline that would take Arsenal through in midweek.
"There have been a few wins in the Champions League that we are all very proud of," said Wenger. "We just have to convince ourselves that we can do it in Munich as well. Yes, the chance is small, but the chance makes the impossible possible. That would be a great credit for our team to do it. We have to try to achieve it.
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
