Arsenal vs Monaco: Kieran Gibbs warns over Dimitar Berbatov threat in Champions League tie

Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs has sent a warning message ahead of the Champions League last 16 first-leg against Monaco on Wednesday, 25 February, suggesting that the Ligue 1 side have a player who "can change a game at any time" in former Tottenham, Manchester United and Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov.

Having been unable to go through the quarter final in the last four years after defeats against Bayern (twice), AC Milan and Barcelona, Arsene Wenger's side look this season the big favourite to win the tie against the Ligue 1 side.

Despite the summer departures of both Radamel Falcao to Old Trafford and James Rodriguez to Real Madrid, Monaco are just fourth in the Ligue 1 table behind Lyon, Paris Saint Germain and Olympique Marseille.

However, Gibbs has urged against taking the victory for granted, warning of the danger of 34-year-old Berbatov, who has scored 16 goals for Monaco in all competitions since his move from Craven Cottage in January 2014.

"We want to put in a strong performance at home against Monaco and score the goals that will help us progress. Obviously, when we are away, we have players who can make the difference at any time. We have got that in this Arsenal team," Gibbs said to Standard Sport.

"It is a good draw but at the end of the day you will still come across the best teams. Monaco are not there for no reason. Dimitar Berbatov can change a game at any time. But we've had Bayern in the last two years who have been quite dominant in world football and obviously Monaco are different."

The left-back believes Arsenal have enough talent to cope with the challenge but say they will need to show the consistent face that recently led them to an impressive victory at the Etihad Stadium.

"I think we have shown in a lot of games how solid we can be but we haven't been consistent enough. That's been the difference. It is because of a mixture of things that every team goes through during the season," the left-back said.

"It is our job to be as consistent as possible — not just performances but results. We have to take performances like City and put them in on a consistent basis in every game."

"I think we need to look back at the last few years and look at where we have fallen short at this stage. It is another chance for us to rectify it and show how far we've come as a team."