Why Arsenal should bench 28-year-old v Bayern Munich
COMMENT By Dominic Toner
Arsenal should leave goalkeeper David Ospina on the bench against Bayern Munich and stick with first-choice option Petr Cech.
The 28-year-old has been used in every European match this season by manager Arsene Wenger and helped the Gunners reach the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Colombia international is an experienced player and has performed well when called upon this campaign, but should be on the substitutes’ bench on Wednesday night.
Arsenal travel to Germany to face Bayern in the first leg of the knockout tie, before hosting them on 7 March.
Wenger must harshly drop Ospina from the side as Cech could be absolutely crucial to progressing to the quarter-finals.
The north London club have a torrid record in the Champions League and have been knocked out in the last 16 for the past six consecutive years.
They need to field their best possible XI against strong opponents Bayern if they are to stand any chance of winning.
Cech is the most experienced member of the Arsenal dressing room and famously helped Chelsea win the Champions League trophy against Bayern in the 2011/12 campaign.
The 34-year-old is still the first-choice goalkeeper and the Gunners should be prioritising success in Europe.
He will be able to help the rest of his team-mates to deal with intense atmosphere that will await them at the Allianz Stadium and it can’t be understated how crucial experience can be.
Ospina helped safely guide Arsenal through the group stages of the competition, but they now need to start taking it as serious as the Premier League.
In other Arsenal news, Harry Redknapp has predicted the clash against Bayern Munich.
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