The pressure is on Arsenal, says Lewy

The Bayern Munich striker is well aware that his side will be facing a Gunners side in desperate need of points but has no qualms about putting an end to their hopes

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski says the pressure is all on Arsenal as the two clubs prepare to face off in the Champions League.

The Gunners have endured a disastrous start to their European campaign and have the unenviable task of picking up positive results from back-to-back games against the German champions if they are to resurrect their hopes of a place in the knockout stages.

But Bayern are a daunting opposition and Lewandowski, in the form of his life with 15 goals in his last seven games across all competitions, told Goal that Arsene Wenger's men have to step it up - or they will be punished.

"I hope we get the three points," the striker remarked. "With three victories, we would nearly be in the next round. Arsenal would have an issue, yes, but that's not our worry. We are Bayern Munich and we're thinking of ourselves.

"We know it won't be an easy game. For our opponents, at home, it is almost the last chance to reach the next round. Arsenal really need to step on the gas, otherwise it's over."


In recent years Bayern have exerted total domination over their rivals in German football and already have a seven-point lead in this season's Bundesliga, but Lewandowski is wary of the club taking their feet off the pedal, which he feels happened in 2014-15 to derail their Champions League hopes once the domestic title was secure.

"In the Bundesliga, it is not certain that we will be German champions again," he said. "We know we should win, every year, all three competitions. Especially in the German Cup against Wolfsburg and in the Champions League, we should not allow any slips-up. In football, you have to think from game to game. You can never feel safe.

"We should not make the same mistakes as last year. No matter how many points ahead we are, we have to give everything. Only then we will compete in the Champions League at the highest level. We will simply set new targets. I cannot reveal our secret but we must simply deal with it differently. We can make it."

The 27-year-old believes that luck played a large role in his side's failure to win the Champions League last season and hopes for better when the business end of the campaign comes around.

He continued: "Last year we played very well until the moment came in which many players were injured and we had no luck. You cannot explain why all that happened. I hope this season will pan out better in the crucial moments – for me, too. Against Barcelona I had to play with the mask, which was a big problem, and [Franck] Ribery and [Arjen] Robben were missing.

"How good is the chance [that we win the Champions League]? No idea. The squad is better, I think. Nevertheless, it is difficult to foresee what will happen in the important months, in April and in May. We can only focus on our job.

"In the Champions League, you can never talk about a favourite. You have three or four teams who can win the title every year. Sometimes there are surprising teams. With Dortmund we reached the final and almost won it. Who will reach the semi-finals or the final, you can never say for 100 per cent." (GOAL)