Per Mertesacker
Reuters

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker believes that the Gunners can benefit from a tough draw, and possibly carve out a win that can help turn their season around.

The German relives last year's instance when they defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Allianz Arena, a result which gave them confidence and put them on path to an unbeaten run. Their string of results meant that the Gunners finished the season in the fourth spot and clinched a top four spot from under the noses of Tottenham Hotspur who finished one point behind.

However, the win over Bayern meant little as the Gunners went out on away goals but will be hoping that they can get some joy this year, having failed to make the quarterfinals over the last couple of seasons.

Arsenal are challenging for the title this season and are currently top of the league, five points ahead of Chelsea. A brilliant result like Bayern earlier this year will add some much needed impetus to their squad as they enter the business end of the season in February and thereby help them put in a concerted effort for their first Premier League title since 2012/13.

However, the Gunners will have to prove themselves first against City, whom they take on at the Etihad stadium on Saturday.

"It is the same as last year. We got Bayern Munich last year and nearly went through. If you want to achieve something in the Champions League, you have to take every opponent seriously and I think it is better for us when we have a good lot, when there is a draw that we can concentrate on," Mertesacker told www.arsenal.com

"When you look at the teams that finished top, if you pick one out, for me, I don't mind. We want to go for it this season... we got a good result at Munich last season and after that we played a fantastic season.

"You never know what can happen with a good draw and a serious opponent - you can get so much out of a defeat or a disappointment. I hope that we learn a lot from [the Napoli game] and we are aware of the next opponent," he concluded.