Arsenal v Munich: Arsene Wenger was so upbeat yesterday that it was easy to forget the scale of the task facing Arsenal tonight. Having called it "a miracle" that his team are still in with a chance of eliminating Bayern Munich, the manager said he expected to take advantage of that good luck at Highbury.
Only an awful miss by Torsten Frings prevented Arsenal from going 4-0 down in Munich before Kolo Toure scored, and Wenger believes those memories could unnerve Bayern.
"They could have been 4-0 up and should have been but once we got back to 3-1 it felt more like 3-2," he said. "We are still in the tie and we should have been out. That will play a big part on their minds. They could have been qualified already and they are still under threat."
It was with typical bullishness that Wenger described himself as "highly confident" of reaching the quarter-finals. That, though, will require not only far better defending than in Munich but greater urgency and incisiveness.
"We have a big task but we want to win and I believe we can do it. The rest is down to the quality of the performance that I think the players will produce," he said. Wenger wants a higher tempo and more aggression this time - "in every combat we were second best and we have to rectify that" - and trusts his players can end a worrying run of six successive Champions League games without a clean sheet.
They have kept two in a row domestically, albeit against Sheffield United and Portsmouth. "In France we say 'never two without three'," said Wenger.
He is likely to be without Edu (knee) and must assess Robert Pires's fitness today, but this time Dennis Bergkamp is available to help unlock what is expected to be a cautious Bayern side.
Wenger referred to Bergkamp's "scientific brain" and Thierry Henry is delighted to have the Dutchman back by his side.
"He is the best player I have played with as a partner," the France international said.
"To play with Dennis Bergkamp is just a dream for a striker because as soon as he sees you he gives you the ball."
Henry emphasised that he could not decide matches without his team-mates - "the only player I have seen winning games on his own was Diego Maradona" - but he expects to be criticised if Arsenal do not score the needed goals, and is prepared for that.
"My dad used to do it to me when I was 11 or 12," he said. "I used to score goals, and he used to say that I didn't give any goals. When I used to set up some, he used to say that I didn't score. When I did both, he used to say that I should have given that ball or this ball."
He emphasised that he "hates" players who do not acknowledge team-mates who have laid on a goal for them and explained why he does not smile much during a match.
"When people see my face on the pitch they always think I'm not happy," he said.
"That's not true. Even when I score I think sometimes of things I missed before. That's the way I am.
"People talk about my attitude and body language. I know sometimes I can be a pain - I'm aware of it. But it's not because of the guy, it's because I want to win."
Bayern have not conceded a goal since the first leg and a key contributor to that defensive stability has been Martin Demichelis.
The Argentinian originally came in as a replacement for Ballack, but his performances were so good that coach Felix Magath has had to make space for him since Ballack's return.
"With (goalkeeper) Oliver Kahn, Lucio, Robert Kovac and Demichelis, we look so solid in the centre it's become very difficult scoring against us," Magath said.
The absence of Makaay may persuade the coach to deploy a five-man midfield on Wednesday, with Claudio Pizarro, scorer of two goals in the first leg, on his own up front.
Bixente Lizarazu is also struggling with injury, so Hasan Salihamidzic is likely to slot back into defence, with Sebastian Deisler and Ze Roberto coming into the midfield sector.
ARSENAL (4-4-2, probable): Lehmann; Lauren, Toure, Senderos, Cole; Ljungberg, Vieira, Flamini, Pires; Bergkamp, Henry.
BAYERN MUNICH (4-1-3-1-1, probable): Kahn; Sagnol, Lucio, Kovac, Lizarazu; Demichelis; Salihamidzic, Ballack, Frings; Ze Roberto; Pizarro.
Referee: M De Santis (Italy).
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