Arsene Wenger: We can complete mission impossible in Monaco and save our Champions League dream

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Arsene Wenger insisted that Arsenal can defy history and overturn a two-goal deficit to knock out Monaco at the Stade Louis II on Tuesday night.

No team has ever lost by two goals in the home leg and gone on to win the tie in the Champions League era.

But Wenger insisted that Arsenal were capable of producing the mother of all comebacks against the club he managed for seven years of his career, from 1987-1994.

Arsene Wenger was in bullish mood ahead of Champions League showdown in Monaco

Arsenal boss Wenger walks on the pitch at the Stade Louis II on Monday night

Arsenal stars appeared relaxed as they headed to France on Monday for their Champions League tie

Wenger said: ‘It doesn’t matter that the statistics are against us, the result is against us. We’re conscious of that. But no matter how big percentage is against us, we have to give everything to make the statistics lie and that’s our belief: that we can do it.

‘We’re here for that. Monaco are in very strong position. We have experience, we have the desire and we have the belief that we can do it. You can expect us to show different side to miss.

'We totally missed the first leg, which was pretty surprising as we’ve won 12 of our last 14. Of course we didn’t play well but in life, if you miss a chance, sometimes you don’t have a second chance. But here we have a second chance.’

Olivier Giroud (left) and Mathieu Flamini prepare to board Arsenal's flight to France on Monday afternoon

Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez poses for the cameras before boarding the flight from Luton airport

Wenger may have to gamble on attack in the last-16 tie on Tuesday but he admitted he was not a regular at the world-famous casino in the principality.

‘I didn’t visit the casino when I was here,’ said Wenger. ‘As in England, I stayed a lot on football pitches. I don’t think people saw me there

‘We need to perform well tomorrow and have a great performance. Before the game what we want is to give everything. If we didn’t believe, we wouldn’t be here.

‘Ideally you want score early but I believe we have to play with full power but not forget organisation and structure in the team and when the goal comes, the goal will come. No-one can predict when that will be.

Mesut Ozil (right) believes it will be 'very important' that Arsenal score an early goal against Monaco

Keeper Wojciech Szczesny (centre) may have to settle for a place on the bench on Tuesday night

'Football is not predictable but I can predict that desire and belief will be there. We’re in the Champions League last 16 and anything can happen on a positive front as long as we believe we can do it.’

Wenger does have concerns about the pitch at the Stade Louis II, with Monaco engulfed by rain showers at present. 

‘It is a little bit of a problem if it rains a lot,’ said Wenger. ‘There were two problems when I was manager and one was that the pitch quality was not fantastic.

'But I just went out on the pitch and it’s good very good. And the second problem was when it rains in south of France, it really rains. They’ve had to postpone a match here recently – but that forecast is not for heavy rain.’

All of Arsenal's stars will have to shine if they are to reverse the 3-1 deficit to reach the quarter-finals

(L-R) Gabriel Paulista, Tomas Rosicky, Mertesacker, Santi Cazorla, Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil