Beating Bayern Munich would transform Arsenal, manager Arteta says

Arsenal will visit the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on Wednesday, to play the second-leg game of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals against Bundesliga. Mikel Arteta, manager of the "Gunners," hoped that his side could transform into a better team by beating the Bundesliga giants.

Arsenal already achieved a breakthrough in the Champions League by making the quarterfinals, from which they had been absent since the 2010-11 campaign. The last time they were in the tournament's final four was in the 2008-09 season. Back then, Arteta was still a player for Everton.

"Absolutely. It would be unbelievable," Arteta said at the pre-game press conference on Tuesday when asked if beating Bayern would have a transformative effect on Arsenal. "If we make it happen tomorrow and we're in the semifinal, we'll be in a really high emotional state with something that we haven't achieved in 15 years and that's the opportunity."

The first-leg game at home with Bayern on April 9 was a 2-2 draw. Bukayo Saka scored first for Arsenal in the 12th minute, but then the Gunners allowed two goals by the opponents in the following 19 minutes, trailing 2-1 in the first half. Leandro Trossard tied the score 2-2 for Arsenal in the 76th minute.

After the 2-2 draw in the Champions League, Arsenal were upset by Aston Villa 2-0 in the Premier League on April 14. As a result, they are now two points behind the leaders, Manchester City with six more games to go.

"Throw the game away, the one that we played a few days ago, because regardless of that result, it is going to have no impact on what's going to happen tomorrow," Arteta said of the loss to Villa. "Refocus and start to build the confidence, the trust, and understanding the performance that we are going to have to put in tomorrow to beat them and go through in the tie."

The last time Arsenal beat Bayern on the road in European competitions was in the second-leg game of the Champions League Round of 16 in the 2012-13 season. Despite the German powerhouse's struggle this season, they have been unbeaten at home in 14 UEFA games.

"For sure I want my team to be themselves regardless of the stadium," Arteta said. "Sometimes you want to do certain things and the opponent doesn't allow you to do it. We are very clear about how we are going to play the game, what we want to do in the game and what gives us the best chance to win it."