Spurs out to end Liverpool hopes
Arjen Robben is relishing Bayern Munich’s forthcoming “week of truth” when they host Arsenal in the Champions League with the German champions currently struggling for form.
Bayern scrapped into the quarterfinals of the German Cup on Tuesday with a 1-0 win at home to Wolfsburg, thanks to Douglas Costa’s first-half goal and heroics from Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
The Germans are bidding to reach the Champions League’s semi-finals for a sixth season in a row.
They host Arsenal on Wednesday on the back of a record 15-game winning streak in European matches at the Allianz Arena.
Carlo Ancelotti’s star-studded Bayern are four points clear in Germany’s top flight and are at relegation-threatened Ingolstadt away tonight in the Bundesliga.
Robben says Bayern need a good performance at their Bavarian neighbours in their final fine-tuning before hosting the Gunners in the firstleg tie of the Champions League’s last 16 round with the return in London on March 7.
The Dutchman scored against the Gunners in November 2015 when Bayern battered Arsenal 5-1 at the Allianz Arena, but is taking nothing for granted.
“Our performances haven’t been good enough and we have to do a few things better,” said Robben.
“We have to talk about this in training and make sure we play as a team.”
“Arsenal will be ‘the week of truth’ and will be exciting.
“Normally, we are always where we need to be for games like that, but it is a completely different game. “It’ll be a step up. “It’s Champions League and the opponents are always better.”
Bayern were far from impressive in sealing 2-1 wins at both Freiburg and Werder Bremen in their opening two league games of 2017.
Ancelotti has said the defence must improve, highlighting the big gap between his back four and the midfield in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Schalke.
Bayern will have their hands full containing Arsenal’s attack which boasts Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil, plus star forwards Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud.
Tottenham Hotspur are eager to land a fatal blow to Liverpool’s slim Premier League title hopes when the sides meet at Anfield today, striker Harry Kane has said. Unbeaten in their last nine league games, second-placed Tottenham have emerged as the most likely contenders to halt Chelsea’s charge but will have to defy the odds as their London rivals hold a nine-point lead at the top of the table.
“It is a important game for us. We want to build the gap on Liverpool and if we beat them next week then we go seven points clear of them. That is what we want to try to do,” Kane told British media.
Liverpool’s bid for the title has collapsed in the recent weeks as a five-game winless run in the league has seen them drop down to fifth, 13 points behind Chelsea after 24 games.
“We want to catch Chelsea and it’s important that we stay as high up the table as possible. If we can build gaps over other teams behind us, that is the important thing. It is not down to us. We don’t know if Chelsea are catchable,” Kane said.
“All we can do is win our games. Hopefully they drop a few points here and there. We want to start building the gap from the others and push Chelsea all the way and see how they cope.
“Chelsea have that gap at the moment. It happens in the Premier League. There is a long way to go.”