LONDON, Feb 18, (AFP): Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has urged his team to learn from their previous mistakes as they bid to resurrect a stuttering season against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday. The prospect of an eighth consecutive season without silverware swam sharply into focus at the weekend when Arsenal were eliminated from the FA Cup by second-tier Blackburn Rovers. With Arsenal having already gone out of the League Cup to fourth-division Bradford City and with a 21-point deficit to make up on leaders Manchester United in the Premier League, it leaves the Champions League as the London club’s only viable shot at a trophy. Arsenal’s last two experiences of the round of 16 have ended in disappointment, with a 4-3 aggregate defeat by Barcelona in 2011 followed by a loss to AC Milan by the same scoreline last year.

The 2006 finalists’ hopes of European glory last season were crushed in a 4-0 first-leg loss in Milan, and Ramsey says his side cannot afford to let the tie with Bayern get away from them. “Of course Bayern will be a tough game, but we are confident that on our day we can give anybody a good match,” he said. “We will all have to be switched on on the night.” It was a different story in the previous campaign, when Arsenal beat Barca 2-1 in the home leg, only to go down 3-1 at Camp Nou, and Ramsey says a similarly positive first-leg performance will be required on Tuesday. “We put ourselves in a good position against Barcelona, but unfortunately did not take it into the second leg,” said the Welshman. “Then, against AC Milan it was a big mountain to climb, which we nearly did at home (by winning 3-0).

“Hopefully this time we can get in another strong position in the first leg, and I am sure we will be more experienced about what to do in the away leg.” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he will not have any trouble motivating his players after Saturday’s shock 1-0 loss to Blackburn at the Emirates Stadium. “It is not difficult at all. It is our job,” the Frenchman said. “If we feel sorry for ourselves, we would be completely wrong. We have a massive game on Tuesday night and we have to show that we have some response in the team.” Last year’s beaten Champions League finalists, Bayern already seem certain to end a three-year wait for major silverware due to their sensational form in the domestic arena. A gritty 2-0 win at Wolfsburg on Friday was their 10th victory away from home this season and allowed them to preserve a mammoth 15-point lead over defending champions Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

Bayern have failed to go beyond the last 16 only once in the past four seasons, and prevailed 3-2 on aggregate when they last met Arsenal in the round of 16 in the 2004-05 campaign. Bayern are yet to concede a goal in 2013, but despite the stark contrast between their imperious recent record and Arsenal’s struggles, Belgian centre-back Daniel Van Buyten anticipates a stern test. “Arsenal are one of the best teams in Europe,” he told the official Bayern website. “They have tremendous potential in attack, they have very strong individual players and a very good team. But we also have quality and want to show it on the pitch. It will be a good game.” He added: “I’ve got butterflies, but that is normal for every player, I think. Champions League games are just something special and even more so against an English club. We are all looking forward to it.” Wenger can take heart from Arsenal’s excellent home record against German clubs.

In 12 previous encounters with representatives from the Bundesliga, Arsenal have won nine, drawn one, and lost only two, while Bayern have won just twice in 15 previous away games against teams from England.
Malaga may have hit a vein of form at just the right time going into Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 tie with FC Porto. The weekend’s hard-fought 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao means the Andalusian side travel to Portugal on the back of two successive wins for the first time in two months. And manager Manuel Pellegrini declared himself happy with his side’s preparation as he believes it is important to carry a positive momentum into their return to European action. “To go into that game winning is different than doing so after a defeat,” he told the club’s website. “We have maintained our position in fourth and now we want to get to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, although we have a very difficult game in Portugal on Tuesday. It is always important to go into those games after a win.”

The Chilean coach even had the luxury of resting some of his key players as Martin Demichelis, Jeremy Toulalan and Joaquin all started on the bench. He admitted to having one eye on the game on the game in midweek, when he said: “There is always a little attention on a Champions League game, but it was important to win to maintain our league position and even more so against a great opponent like Athletic.” Pellegrini’s squad are also in pretty good shape with Eliseu the only absentee from the 22-man party that willl fly to Portugal on Monday morning. Eliseu was, though, one of Malaga’s stars in an incredible debut campaign in the Champions League as he scored four times in eight games. And with Nacho Monreal having joined Arsenal in January, there is likely to be a Champions League debut for Portuguese full-back Vitorino Antunes.

However, Porto were themselves impressive in the Group stages with a return of 13 points and just one defeat from their six games. The Portuguese champions stretched their unbeaten run in the league to 19 games with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Beira Mar on Friday night, thanks to a first goal for the club by Christian Atsu and a 20th of the season from the prolific Jackson Martinez. The only down side for manager Vitor Pereira was a late red card for Eliaquim Mangala, but he is also satsfied with his side’s form. “It was a safe victory. We scored two goals and could have done one or two more, without allowing the opponent any chances and staying consistent,” he told the club’s website. “We didn’t have a brilliant game, but I am happy with the overall performance of the team. “We knew it was important to get the three points and that is what we did. I am sorry for the red card shown to Mangala, because, for me, it was ridiculous.”