Pep Guardiola has reassured Arsenal fans his Bayern Munich side will not take their foot off the gas as they aim to secure top spot in Group F.
Following Wednesday’s 5-1 drubbing in Munich, the Gunners’ hopes of progressing to the knockout-phase are now dependent on other results in the group.
Should Bayern and Olympiakos draw on November 24, the Gunners will be eliminated from Europe’s elite-club competition in the group stages for the first time since the competition adopted its new format in 2003/04.
However, asked to assure Arsenal that Bayern would not settle for a stalemate against the Greek champions, Guardiola said: “You make this question to a coach and a club then you have to know it is impossible to not try and win the game.
“Arsenal fans need to be calm. The players are going to go and try to win against Olympiakos, we might not be able to do that but not because we weren’t fighting but we want to be first in the group.”
Bayern’s demolition of Arsenal leaves the Bavarians needing just a point from their remaining two group-stage clashes to seal their passage to the knockout phase.
And Guardiola, while pleased with his side’s clinical display of finishing at the Allianz Arena, highlighted areas of improvement for his Bayern side.
“Many congratulations to my team, especially for the first half,” he added.
“We gave away possession too cheaply in the first 10 minutes, and that was when Arsenal were very dangerous. But it was easier after the first goal. We got better and better thanks to the support of our fans.
“Our aim was to control the game in the second half, but we let them get at us too often on the break. That has to improve.
“But we’ve done it and we’re nearly through. Now we want to beat Olympiakos and finish top of the group.”
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