WEDNESDAY’S MATCH OF THE DAY

Arsenal at Bayern Munich

Bayern has had Arsenal’s number in the Champions League. (Getty Images)

If Barcelona and PSG don’t live up to the hype on Tuesday, Arsenal heads to Germany for an encounter that promises drama on the pitch and on the sidelines.

Both Arsenal and Bayern won by 2-0 score lines on Saturday, but neither team could claim those score lines with clear consciences. The Gunners scored their first goal against Hull City off an Alexis Sanchez hand ball that went uncalled and scored their second off a penalty in stoppage time moments prior to the final whistle. Similarly, Ingolstadt put up a strong resistance and gave up a goal to Bayern in the 90th minute. Like their English counterparts, the Germans scored their second goal in stoppage time just moments shy of the final whistle.

Bayern Munich is nearing the end of a cycle with Philipp Lahm announcing his retirement and Xabi Alonso also hanging up his boots at the end of the season. Speaking of retirements, reports out of London suggest that Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is getting close to finally stepping away from the sidelines, which would mark the end of a 21-year run on the North London sidelines. Wenger talked down the rumors.

Bayern is unbeaten in its previous 11 matches entering Wednesday’s encounter. Meanwhile, Arsenal has won eight of its last 13 matches, but that record also included four defeats.

Players to watch

• Alexis Sanchez: If Arsenal hopes to have a good day, Sanchez will likely play a part. When the Chilean scores, the Gunners have a record of 10 wins, two draws and one loss this season.
• Robert Lewandowski: He scored five goals in the group stages and trails only Cavani and Messi on the Champions League scoring charts.

UEFA stat: Arsenal has been eliminated in the Champions League round of 16 for six consecutive seasons.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 3-1 Arsenal. Lewandowski and Arjen Robben score one goal each, while Thomas Muller gets hit in the face by a ball that goes in off the post. Olivier Giroud scores a late consolation goal.

Napoli at Real Madrid

Napoli is 18 matches unbeaten, with 12 wins. Real Madrid, obviously, is hoping to become the first back-to-back champion during the Champions League era and is an 11-time European cup champion. Madrid has scored at least once in every match this season across all competitions and currently leads the Spanish league despite having two matches in hand on its six closest competitors. In his last 10 matches across all competitions, Belgian Dries Mertens has scored 14 goals and passed off five assists. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, has scored a goal in each of his last three appearances across all competitions.