Arsenal are currently sitting at the top of the Premier League table but this week, their focus will be in Europe where they take on Bayern Munich in the quarter-final of the Champions League.
The last time these two sides had met was back in 2017 and the Gunners ended up losing the two-legged Round of 16 tie with an aggregate of 2-10. There’s no way we are going to see a similar result this time around because under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal are a totally different beast.
This will be Arsenal’s first UCL quarter-final since the 2009-10 campaign so there will definitely be some nerves and Arteta will have to be extra cautious because Bayern are going to miss out on the Bundesliga title so their full focus will now be in Europe.
It’s very hard to pitch Arsenal as the clear favourites but they do have a slight advantage because they will be playing at home plus they have suffered only two losses this calendar year. Their first loss came in January in the FA Cup against Liverpool and then they lost to Porto in the UCL towards the end of February.
Arsenal’s team news and injuries:
The biggest positive for the Arsenal manager is that he has a fully fit squad to choose from with summer signing Jurrien Timber being the only unavailable player.
The fact that Mikel Arteta has all his important players available is a big advantage but we doubt if the manager will make wholesome changes to the starting XI that beat Brighton at the weekend.
The backline has been Arsenal’s crown jewel this season and unless there’s an unexpected injury, Arteta is not making any changes.
Thomas Partey has also returned to full fitness but the way Jorginho has been playing, we don’t think Partey will get a chance to start on Tuesday night. The Ghanaian international will at best come on in the second half.
On Saturday, Gabriel Jesus was preferred ahead of Martinelli and Trossard out on the left wing but Mikel Arteta will bring Gabriel Martinelli back into the first XI when Bayern Munich come to town.
Kai Havertz has been refound his form and confidence at Arsenal this season and against Brighton, he scored one and assisted one goal. Havertz will definitely lead the line with Bukayo Saka playing on the right-hand side.
Amidst all the major Premier League side, Arsenal perhaps have the most stable starting lineup right now which is a big plus because, despite Bayern’s poor form, they are one of the top dawgs in Europe.
Arsenal predicted line up vs Bayern Munich:
Predicted Starting lineup(4-3-3): David Raya; Zinchenko, Saliba, Gabriel, Ben White; Jorginho, Declan Rice, Odegaard; Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz.
