2023-24 UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals: First Leg – Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

Arsenal face Bayern Munich at Emirates Stadium in the first leg of their Quarter-Final in 2023-24 UEFA Champions League.

Arsenal scraped past Porto on penalties to prevail in their Round of 16 tie, whilst Bayern Munich survived a scare against Lazio to squeeze through to the last eight.

Team News

Arsenal have no fresh injury concerns to report following their win at Brighton in the Premier League.

Jurrien Timbers (knee) remain absent.

Bayern could be without Manuel Neuer (adductor), Kingsley Coman (muscle), Nous Mazraoui (unspecified) and Leroy Sane (pelvis) after the quartet missed the surprise Bundesliga defeat at Heidenheim.

Aleksandar Pavlovic (illness) is unlikely to be available for selection, whilst Noel Aseko-Nkili (ankle) and Gabriel Marusic (ACL) aren’t expected to be part of the travelling squad.

Sacha Boey (hamstring), Bouna Sarr (ACL) and Tarek Buchmann (muscle) remain absent.

When is Kick-Off?

Arsenal host Bayern at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday 9 April at 8pm BST, live on TNT Sports …. in the UK.

Stat Attack

• Arsenal have won one of their last six Champions League meetings against Bayern (W1, D1, L4).
• Bayern Munich have won three of their last five Champions League visits to Arsenal (W3, D1, L2).
• Arsenal have lost each of their last three meetings against Bayern Munich by 5-1 results.
• Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have scored 13 goals at home without conceding in this season’s Champions League.
• Bayern have kept just one clean sheet on the road in this season’s competition (W3, L1).

Prediction

Currently in red-hot form and full of confidence after comfortably dispatching Brighton at the weekend, Arsenal should hold no fear despite their poor record in this fixture but they will have to be clinical yet defensively resilient with David Raya in peak form in goal.

Bayern though do have the attacking quality to seriously hurt Arsenal especially with Harry Kane in particular in fearsome form – plus he has proven pedigree against the Gunners from his time at Tottenham so I expect isolating him to be one of Arsenal’s main tactics defensively.

If they do that and can take advantage of having a stadium full solely of home fans, Arsenal certainly could have their best chance of a rare win over Bayern who aren’t exactly solid at the back with just three clean sheets in 2024 alone.

Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Bayern Munich