The Brazilian defender came up against the likes of Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott recently while playing for Brazil, and knows the Gunners duo can harm his Bayern Munich side
EXCLUSIVE
By Fernando Duarte
Bayern Munich defender Dante has warned his team-mates that they will have to be wary of the threat posed by Arsenal duo Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott when the two sides face off at the Emirates on Tuesday.
The Brazilian came up against the pair earlier this month while representing his country against England at Wembley, and knows that they will be able to help the Gunners bounce back from their defeat to Blackburn in the FA Cup on Saturday.
“They have very interesting players,” he told Goal.com.
“Lukas Podolski was a threat in the Bundesliga even when playing for Koln, and I saw in person how dangerous Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott are when we faced each other in the England-Brazil friendly.
“Also, Arsenal players will be in the mood to prove a point. Bayern will have to keep up their guard. I have watched the Premier League for years and learned to admire Arsenal’s commitment to good football.
“You can never underestimate a team who adopt this philosophy. I have seen enough good moments from Arsenal to know they can create problems for any team.”
Dante arrived at Bayern from Borussia Monchengladbach following die Roten’s Champions League final defeat to Chelsea last season, and is happy with the way his colleagues have bounced back.
“It was heartbreaking and the defeat made me worry a bit about morale,” he continued.
“All of a sudden, I feared walking into a very sad atmosphere. It is remarkable that the players did not think too much of what happened and I am happy to the the guys have moved on.
“I am sure that inside they are dying for another shot at the trophy, but at Bayern, you always have to be gunning for major honours.”
Bayern have shipped just seven Bundesliga goals this season, and Dante is happy to have made such an impact following his move from Monchengladbach.
“We are doing well and I am quite happy that I settled into the team so quickly. But we are part of a team and we have to do things together if we are to succeed.
“People won’t be in awe of us if we don’t win trophies and we have to make sure we don’t simply start thinking that we have won something.”
Bayern have the chance to take a huge step towards European glory at 20:45CET on Tuesday.