The latter stages of the UEFA Champions League resume with a set of blockbuster ties as Arsenal host Bayern Munich in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
Arsenal are at home to Bayern Munich in one of the most anticipated clashes of the UEFA Champions League Last Eight, with a place in the semi-final against Manchester City or Real Madrid waiting for the winner.
Bayern have won seven and drawn two of their previous 12 UCL encounters with Arsenal and they ran out 5-1 victors the last time they travelled to the Emirates in 2017. That Round of 16 clash made it three successive thrashings by the same scoreline against the Gunners.
Arsenal will be faced by a familiar foe in Harry Kane who moved to the Bundesliga champions from Tottenham last summer and has scored 37 goals in his first 35 appearances. The England striker has scored more goals against Arsenal in the North London derby than any other player in history and he will look to add to that tally in the famous Bayern kit.
Arsenal came close to lifting the Premier League title last season and their reaction has been emphatic so far in this campaign. The league season started with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at home to Nottingham Forest that was followed by six wins and three draws from the next nine games as they stayed unbeaten.
However, a controversial defeat at Newcastle was their first of the campaign as Anthony Gordon’s winning goal arguably should not have stood. Arsenal stayed resilient and determined despite that setback as they churned out results against Burnley, Brentford and Wolves.
Declan Rice’s 97th-minute goal decided a thrilling 4-3 victory at Luton Town but a lone-goal defeat to Aston Villa was fatal to their hopes. After a victory and a draw against Brighton and Liverpool, Arsenal had a less-than-ideal end to 2023 with consecutive defeats to West Ham and Fulham which saw them slip down the Premier League table.
The winter break provided a timely boost as Mikel Arteta’s side returned all guns blazing by beating Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, West Ham and Burnley, scoring at least five times in three of those games.
A 1-0 defeat at Porto in their first UCL Round of 16 match in seven years provided a shock to the system which they responded to by beating Newcastle, Sheffield United and Brentford. Arsenal did eventually overcome Porto after a tense penalty shootout in the second leg to reach the quarter-final for the first time since 2010.
This is the Gunners’ best team in years and they have more realistic chances against Bayern than in previous seasons.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are enduring a tough campaign but the six-time European champions have their focus firmly on the trophy with the big years after a tumultuous domestic season.
The Bundesliga title was clinched in the final moments of last season but Bayern have fallen even further behind in 2023-24 as undefeated Bayer Leverkusen sensationally rose to the top of the table.
Bayern lost the DFL Super Cup to RB Leipzig but went unbeaten in the Bundesliga as well as the opening games of the UCL group stage. The Germans were already assured of a place in the Last 16 after a 2-1 victory over Galatasaray on Matchday 4 before welcoming Copenhagen to Munich for their only draw of the campaign.
A crushing 5-1 league defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt followed but they rounded up the European campaign with a 1-0 win against Manchester United. Six wins came from the next seven matches but things quickly went bad for Bayern as Leverkusen and Bochum both dealt them embarrassing league defeats, either side of a shock 1-0 reverse at Lazio.
That sequence of results left the team eight points behind Leverkusen by matchweek 22 and it proved devastating for Tuchel who will now leave his job at the end of the season. Nevertheless, Bayern turned around their UCL knockout tie with a 3-0 defeat of Lazio which was followed by the high-scoring thrashings of Mainz and Darmstadt.
The Bavarians are aware that the Champions League is perhaps their best route to end this season with silverware and the games against Arsenal require maximum concentration given the Gunners’ form in 2024.
Bayern are currently ten points adrift of their league leaders and their unreliable performances are also a concern, worse still, they are not permitted to have their fans at the Emirates after fireworks were set off and thrown onto the pitch during their last-16 match against Lazio.
Indeed, Germany’s most successful club is used to such big nights under intense pressure and they must harness that pedigree for the right to face either Real Madrid or Manchester City in the semi-final.
Match tickets
This UEFA Champions League Quarter-final takes place on Tuesday, 9 April 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 8 PM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on the Arsenal website with registered members required to apply for tickets to be included in the ballot and season ticket holders given priority allocation.
Given the ban on away fans, the hosts have permission to fill the away section with their own fans, meaning the chance of extra persons getting a ticket increases. There is set to be a raucous atmosphere for the visiting players so they will have to go through this tie with limited external support from the stands.
Arsenal are hoping this ‘advantage’ works in their favour as over 60,000 people will be cheering them on to a first-leg victory. Non-season ticket holders and any cheeky Germans looking to get Arsenal vs Bayern Munich tickets may be lucky enough to find their ticket on a ticket resale site.
Team news
Gabriel Martinelli is a key fitness concern having pulled out of the Brazil squad for the March international friendlies. Meanwhile, Arsenal hope to see Jurrien Timber back for the season’s run-in after he made his return to training at the end of February following a serious knee injury.
For Bayern, Bouna Sarr, Kingsley Coman, Noussair Mazraoui and Raphael Guerreiro are all injured.
Line-ups
The chemistry in the Arsenal lineup cannot be tampered with considering their exceptional form in front of goal in the second half of the season. Fitness permitting, we are likely to see the same side that has started all of their recent matches.
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Jorginho, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Trossard
The undisputed dangerman for the visitors is Kane who’s scored six UCL goals so far, his finishing and creativity must come to the fore for his team.
Bayern Munich: Neuer; Kimmich, de Ligt, Dier, Davies; Pavlovic, Goretzka; Sané, Müller, Musiala; Kane
Prediction
History suggests this should be a whitewashing of the Gunners but recent form suggests the contrary. Nevertheless, Bayern will be desperate to secure another big win as they search for a brilliant end to their season.
Arsenal should be wary but fearless in their quest for a deep run in this competition. Arsenal 1-1 Bayern Munich