The Emirates Stadium braces itself for a titanic encounter on Tuesday night as Arsenal welcomes Bayern Munich for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie. The atmosphere is electric, with a resurgent Arsenal facing a Bayern side in flux.
Match details: Bayern Munich vs Arsenal
- Competition: Champions League
- Date and time: 9 April 2024, 20:00 BST
- Venue: Emirates Stadium
- Quarterfinal first leg
Head to Head:
Overall Record (Since 2005)
- Matches Played: 12
- Arsenal Wins: 3
- Bayern Munich Wins: 7
- Draws: 2
Recent Form
- The last 4 meetings with a clear win-loss record have all been convincing victories for Bayern Munich, with scorelines heavily favouring the German side. Starting with the most recent results:
- 5-1 to Bayern
- 5-1 to Bayern
- 5-1 to Bayern
- 2-0 to Arsenal
- 1-1 Draw
Arsenal on fire
The Gunners are flying high. Mikel Arteta’s men sit atop the Premier League table, boasting an impressive six wins from their last seven games.
Their form is characterised by a potent attack, marshalled by the in-form Bukayo Saka and the tactical mastery of Mikel Arteta, and a watertight defence that has kept five clean sheets in those seven matches. This newfound solidity is a major reason for Arsenal’s optimism.
Bayern in Turmoil
The Bavarians, in contrast, find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Recent weeks have seen them lose back-to-back matches, putting their title hopes in serious jeopardy, despite the £100 million addition of Harry Kane. This is after missing out on Super Cup and DFB-Pokal.
Manager Thomas Tuchel faces questions about his tactics and team selection, with rumours swirling about his future at the club.
Despite their struggles, Bayern still possess immense firepower. However, their leaky defence and potential lack of team spirit are major concerns.
Key players to watch
- Arsenal: Arteta is spoilt for choice to choose his starting 11 as his team is fully fit for the match. A solid defensive unit including Declan Rice, David Raya, Ben White and Kai Havertz will be key for this clash. With Odegaard and Saka fit for the game, Arsenal has a great chance of winning this first leg.
- Bayern Munich: With injuries marred in the squad, and fortunately some players coming back into the mix, Bayern will be reliant on their performance with the likes of Harry Kane, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, and Jamal Musiala, all looking to bounce back from their recent defeat.
Possible injuries/suspensions/omissions
- Bayern Munich could be without eight players for the trip to London:
- Sacha Boey (hamstring)
- Bouna Sarr (knee)
- Tarek Buchmann (muscle)
- Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman, Noussair Mazraoui and Aleksandar Pavlovic are placed on questionable list ahead of the clash, however, it’s been reported that they might be available.
- Arsenal will have a nearly fully fit team against Bayern:
- Jurrien Timber is the only player who is a doubt as the defender is still getting back to full fitness after injuring his knee in August.
Where to watch
- TNT Sports coverage starts at 7:00 PM UK time (19:00) on Tuesday, April 9th.
- SuperSport coverage – kick off time is at 21:00 CAT
- You can also subscribe to TNT Sports through streaming services like discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
- Their app on discovery+ offers features like goal alerts, timeline markers to jump to key moments, and multi-match options.
Predictions
Many pundits predict a close encounter with a slight edge to Arsenal due to their current form.
- Popular predictions include:
- Arsenal winning 2-1
- Both teams to score (Yes)
- Factors influencing predictions:
- Arsenal’s current good form and strong defence
- Bayern’s recent struggles, particularly in defence
- The presence of Arsenal’s attack end, with threats like Bukayo Saka are key in this match up.
Remember: These are just predictions, and the actual outcome of the match could be different.
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