Thierry Henry wants Arsenal to draw on their 2006 Champions League heroics to defy history and overcome Bayern Munich after the clubs were again drawn together in the competition on Monday.
Arsene Wenger’s side will meet the Bundesliga champions over two legs for a spot in the quarter-finals, having been pitted together on Europe’s biggest stage for the fourth time in five seasons.
Bayern knocked the Gunners out at the same stage in 2013 and 2014, while they met in the group phase of last season’s competition.
But Henry – the club’s all-time record goalscorer – believes Arsenal’s run to the final a decade ago can provide inspiration for the current crop.
“I remember when we drew Real Madrid the year we went to the final in 2006 with Arsenal, I remember people were like, ‘it’s over for Arsenal’,” the Frenchman told Sky Sports.
“And I remember guys there [at Madrid] going, ‘it’s a good draw, we’re happy’ – they finished second, we finished first in our group. We were the so-called first team that everybody wanted to play. But we managed to reach the final and we beat Real Madrid.
“If I was a player now I would take that as a challenge. People think we can’t beat them, we played them before, we lost against them.
“If you want to win the Champions League, at one point you’re going to have to play against Bayern Munich, you’ll have to play Barcelona, you’ll have to play Real Madrid … why not now?”
The first leg will be played at the Allianz Arena, where Arsenal suffered a 5-1 loss on their previous visit.
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