Bayern Munich vs Arsenal: Champions League - LIVE! (2024)

David Raya and the Arsenal goalkeepers have just come out for their warm-up.

Greeted by loud jeers and whistles - Arsenal should be braced for plenty of that tonight.

Mikel ArtetawantsArsenalto stand up and be counted — and what better place for them to do that than here in the Bavarian capital.

The Allianz Arena is the scene of some their most painful recent European memories, and history is not on their side tonight as they bid to reach the semi-finals of theChampions Leaguefor the first time in 15 years.

Arsenal have lost 5-1 on their last two visits to Bayern, their joint-heaviest away defeats in Europe, and have won only one of their six away games against the Bundesliga giants.

But this quarter-final feels far more evenly matched, especially after a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Emirates Stadium last week.

Both sides have endured difficult weekends since then, with Bayern seeing Bayer Leverkusen crowned German champions and Arsenal surrendering control of the Premier League title race to Manchester City.

Arsenal’s 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa was their first league loss of the year and it is crucial they do not let it derail their season.

Takehiro Tomiyasu makes his first start for Arsenal since December, while Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka are both fit as expected.

It’s Gabriel Martinelli who gets the nod on the left wing, with Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard among the substitutes.

A strong Arsenal bench again.

Bayern XI: Neuer; Kimmich, De Ligt, Dier, Mazraoui, Laimer, Goretzka, Sane, Musiala, Guerreiro, Kane

Subs: Peretz, Ulreich, Upamecano, Minjae, Choupo-Moting, Bryan, Muller, Tel, Pavlovic

Bayern, as BILD reported this morning, have gone for Mazraoui and Guerreiro down the left.

Tuchel spoke yesterday about how Arsenal attack down the right with Odegaard and Saka.

Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli

Subs: Ramsdale, Hein, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Partey, Vieira, Smith Rowe, Trossard, Nelson, Nketiah, Jesus

The team news from Munich coming up very shortly.

Plenty of decisions for Mikel Arteta to make, with most of his squad now back to full fitness.

The Arsenal squad have arrived at the Allianz Arena.

Those of you who enjoy feeling dizzy... you’re in luck.

There is a joke doing the rounds that the most useful German wordHarry Kanehas mastered atBayern Munichis ‘schadenfreude’.

Inevitably, there will be some ‘shameful joy’ at Kane’s expense if Bayern are eliminated from theChampions Leagueby his old rivalsArsenal, leaving the England captain without a trophy in his first season in Bavaria.

When Kane left Tottenham for Bayern in a £100million deal last summer, the perennial Bundesliga champions looked among the safest bets in Europe to pick up more silverware this season.

But their run of 11 consecutive titles was ended by Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend, while they were long since dumped out of the German Cup. They even lost the German Super Cup in August on Kane’s debut.

If Bayern are beaten again tonight, should Kane’s move be considered a failure, despite his 39 goals in 38 appearances this term?

“A harsh reality in winning and losing [is that] you can do a lot of good things throughout the year and still end up on the losing side,” Kane said yesterday.

“You want to improve as a player individually every year, you want to get better, you want to show the world your capabilities and you want to push yourself to the limits. And then you hope that helps with the team.”

Arsenal have been beaten 5-1 on both of their last two visits to the Allianz Arena.

The did win in Munich in 2013, though even that was not enough to stop Bayern progressing on away goals.

This has been a fixture that the Bundesliga side have dominated.