Pep Guardiola has warned his Bayern Munich players to brace themselves for a ferocious test from an Arsenal side fighting for Champions League survival.
Arsene Wenger’s side are in severe danger of failing to reach the knockout stages for the first time in 16 years after two dismal defeats.
The team were beaten at Dinamo Zagreb and then suffered the embarrassment of losing at home to Olympiakos, leaving them pointless at the bottom of Group F.
Another loss when Bayern visit the Emirates Stadium would put Arsenal on the verge of a stunning exit and Bayern manager Guardiola expects the hosts to fight like wounded animals on Tuesday.
Read more: Ian Hawkey on Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal's Chilean influence on Arsenal v Bayern
“For them, they have an advantage because they have to win, when that happens with these kind of players, and the history of this club, they are going to make the best performance possible,” Guardiola told reporters on Monday.
“I don’t expect anything other than a fight for the 90 minutes.
“We have to look for another way to compete against them because of the enthusiasm they will have, so we will have to be intelligent and control our game.
“Of course I prefer to come here with six points, but I can imagine my team with zero points and playing in Germany against Arsenal.
“I can imagine the mentality of my team – we would be an animal, because it is our last chance, you give everything and that will happen with Arsenal, so you have to be prepared.
“We saw what happened with Arsenal against Zagreb and Olympiakos, when no-one expected them to win, and it will be the same for us tomorrow.”
Guardiola’s team have won all of their opening nine German league matches – a Bundesliga record – and have also made a 100 per cent start to their Champions League campaign.
But Guardiola has no intention of letting his players rest on their laurels.
“There are still 12 points up for grabs, we are not qualified yet and have to fight and against one of the best teams in Europe,” Guardiola added.
“They have great quality and are a very technical team.
“It is very difficult to play against them and find one Arsenal player who does not have quality.”
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How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
