The second Champions League preview of this week sees another two explosive fixtures with two of Europe's big hitters in action.

Bayern Munich face Arsenal at the Allianz Arena in a huge match for both sides. Bayern have the wool over Arsenal in recent years, with the last fixture between the sides at the Allianz resulting in a 5-1 hammering for Arsenal.

The Gunners will be looking to use the confidence gained in the win over Hull to their advantage, but this is a daunting test for them. They need to progress in Europe, they have fallen at this hurdle too many times in recent years.

Bayern Munich vs Arsenal – Wednesday 15th February 2017 – 19:45 - BT Sport 2

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich welcome Arsenal to the Allianz Arena in a huge Champions League match, with a place in the Quarter-Finals at stake.

The German Champions come into this match on the back of a 2-0 win, away against Ingolstadt in an excellent win.

Arturo Vidal (90) scored the opening goal late on in the match, ensuring that Bayern secured a battling three points.

It didn't end there though, with Arjen Robben (90+1) scored Bayern's second goal just before the final whistle.

The win is an excellent result for the Bavarians, they now find themselves seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

Bayern In Great Form

Carlo Ancelotti's men come into this match in great recent form, with five wins and a draw in their last six.

Wins against Ingolstadt, Wolfsburg, Werder Bremen, Freiburg and RB Leipzig have all come in the last few weeks, a hefty fixture pile up.

Bayern will be looking to transfer that form to the Champions League, they have an excellent record against the Gunners.

They finished as runners-up in Group D, with Atletico Madrid beating them by three points losing two matches.

Bavarians Favourites

Bayern go into this match as the favourites, with their excellent recent form and home advantage.

They will be looking to register their fifth win of the competition, with a place in the Quarter-Finals at stake.

Bayern will be looking to complete their sixth Champions League win over the Gunners, with this their 11th meeting.

Bayern are 1/2 with Robert Lewandowski at 5/2 to score first.

Image result for allianz arena

Gunners In Mixed Form

The Gunners come into this match in mixed form, with a narrow win against Hull ensuring they avoided three successive defeats.

Alexis Sanchez (34) opened the scoring for Arsenal, with the Chilean handling the ball into the net.

It was a controversial opener, Mark Clattenburg and his assistants failed to see it, although they did apologise at half time.

Sanchez (90+3) scored what proved to be a more legitimate goal from the spot, with Sam Clucas sent off late on as well (90+1).

The Gunners were very lucky to have ten men on the pitch, with Keiran Gibbs fouling Lazar Markovic earlier in the piece

Gunners Down And Out

The Gunners now desperately need to register a win in this competition, with the Premier League ambitions over.

Poor results against Chelsea and Watford now mean they have lost two of their last six matches.

Arsenal did finish top of Group A, with a surprise draw for PSG in their last match ensuring Arsenal ended top.

They drew old foes Bayern Munich as a result, with the Bavarians dumping the Gunners out of 3 of the last 4 Champions League campaigns.

Gunners Underdogs

Arsenal come into this match as the underdogs, with their last visit resulting in a 5-1 defeat to the Gunners.

Wenger's men will be looking to avoid their sixth defeat against Bayern, they will be looking to avenge the recent knockouts as well.

Arsenal will be looking for just their fourth win against the Germans, giving Wenger a welcome boost.

Arsenal are 5/1 with Alexis Sanchez at 7/1 to open the scoring.

 

The second fixtures sees La Liga leaders Real Madrid face an in form Napoli at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real come into the match on the back of a 3-1 win at the weekend, that keeps them clear of rivals Barcelona by one point, Zidane is yet to taste defeat in this seasons competition and will look to make it trophy number 12 by the end of the season.

Napoli are enjoying an excellent run of form in Serie A and will be looking to make full use of their underdog tag. Thye have a talented squad but winning here will be a tough ask, it is a fortress for Madrid in European matches.

Real Madrid vs Napoli – Wednesday 15th February 2017 – 19:45 - BT Sport 

Real Madrid

Real Madrid welcome Napoli to the Santiago Bernabeu in a huge Champions League match, with a place in the Quarter-Finals at stake.

The Champions League holders come into this match on the back of a 3-1 win, away against Osasuna in an excellent win.

Cristiano Ronaldo (24) scored the opening goal for Los Blancos, ensuring they had the best possible start.

Leon Limones (33) equalised for the hosts though, with a goal just nine minutes later that will have annoyed Zidane.

Isco (62) gave Real the lead for the second time in the second half, with Lucas completing the scoring late on in the 93rd minute.

Madrid In Good Form

Zidane's men come into this match in good recent form, with three wins, two defeats and a draw in their last six.

Wins against Osasuna, Sociedad and Malaga balancing defeats against Celta Vigo and Sevilla.

Real Madrid will be looking to continue their unbeaten form in the Champions League, they have drawn three and won three.

They finished as runners-up in Group F, with Borussia Dortmund beating them by two points.

Los Blancos Favourites

Real go into this match as the favourites, with their excellent recent form and home advantage.

They will be looking to register their fourth win of the competition, with a place in the Quarter-Finals at stake.

Real will be looking to complete their first ever win against Napoli in the Champions League, at the first time of asking.

Real are 8/15 with Cristiano Ronaldo at 5/2 to score first.

Image result for bernabeu stadium

Napoli In Great Form

The Italians come into this match in excellent form, with a 2-0 win against Genoa in Serie A at the weekend.

Zielinski (50) opened the scoring for Napoli, with the home side struggling to break down a stubborn defence in the first half.

Emmanuel Giaccharini (68) doubled their advantage in the 68th minute, it would prove to be the winner for the home side.

It was a hard fought win against a side at the bottom of Serie A, the win ensures they moved up to second in the league though.

Group B Winners

The Italians have had an excellent season so far, maintaining their league and Champions League form with ease.

They are unbeaten in their last six matches, with four wins in their last five Serie A matches and progressing past Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia.

Napoli did finish top of Group B, three points clear of Portuguese side Benfica, their prize is a two-legged bout against the holders.

Real have won the competition eleven times, they are the current holders of the Champions League, this will be an enormous challenge.

Napoli Underdogs

The Italians come into this match as the underdogs, with the holders home advantage informing the bookies.

Napoli will be looking to avoid their second defeat in the Champions League this season, that is an excellent achievement to lose just one match.

This is the first meeting between the two sides in the Champions League, Napoli will be looking to make history winning at the Bernabeu.

Napoli are 9/2 with Arkadiusz Milik and Dries Mertens at 7/1 to open the scoring.

 

 

Betting Tips

Tip 1 – Muller to score first @ 9/2 and Bayern to win 3-1 @ 10/1

Tip 2 – Ronaldo to score first @ 5/2 and Real Madrid to win 3-1 @ 10/1

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