Arsene Wenger Thinks Arsenal-Monaco Match Will Be Close
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told his players to be aware of Monaco's upset bid in their UEFA Champions League tie at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
The Gunners have yet to get past the Round of 16 in the last four seasons, suffering bitter defeats to fellow European soccer powerhouses Barcelona, AC Milan, and Bayern Munich, and they have a good chance at making it this time around against the French side.
Wenger, however, believed that it will still be an anybody's game.
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"It's really a 50:50 [match] because Monaco are in a similar position to us," Wenger said in Arsenal's website. "They came back into a good position in the league and their confidence level will be high."
Both clubs have been on recent runs in their respective domestic leagues that put them in a position to return to the Champions League next season.
Monaco is currently fourth in the Ligue 1 with 43 points after 25 outings, while Arsenal places third in the Barclays Premier League with 48 points after 26 matches.
Wenger also said that defense has been key to Monaco's great Champions League run that earned the French team a spot in the knockout stages.
"We know that Monaco are very tight defensively -- they didn't concede in the group stage against good teams," he added.
Wenger hopes that Arsenal's 2-1 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday will give the club a morale boost come the home match against Monaco.
"What was important for me was to win [against Crystal Palace] because we fought like mad to come back in a strong position in the league, and not to win would have been disastrous," he continued.
Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Debuchy, and Abou Diaby will be sidelined for this match, while Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are gametime decisions for their own respective injuries.
