Arsenal’s journey through the Champions League faces a stern test against Bayern Munich, following a challenging victory over Porto. The Gunners, who edged past Porto on penalties, must elevate their game to compete with Bayern’s caliber.
Arsenal may find Bayern’s proactive style more to their liking compared to Porto’s defensive approach. Thomas Tuchel’s team is expected to engage more openly, which could play into Arsenal’s hands.
In his exclusive reports, Charles Watts emphasizes that Mikel Arteta is instilling a fearless mindset in his squad, focusing on exploiting Bayern’s weaknesses rather than merely containing them.
The question remains: Can Arsenal advance past Bayern in the Champions League? Despite the difficulty and Arsenal’s rare semi-final appearances, the team’s current form has instilled a sense of optimism among fans and pundits alike.
“It’s a huge tie, one that certainly comes with a bit of scar tissue for Arsenal, given what happened the last time the sides met in this competition. But it’s not a tie that Arsenal will approach with any fear. They will respect Bayern, but they will absolutely believe they can beat them. This is the sort of tie Arsenal have been longing for over the past seven years while they have been trying to establish themselves back amongst Europe’s elite,” Watts explained.
“The narrative ahead of the game will be about Harry Kane, who is having a superb individual debut season in Germany. He loves a goal against Arsenal, particularly a penalty, and so William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes will have to be at their very best to stop him, as well as the likes of Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane. But Arsenal’s two centre-backs have shown they thrive against the best and will relish showing what they can do on this type of stage.
“And this Arsenal team won’t spend too much time worrying about Bayern. They will do their homework obviously, Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff will ensure they are well versed in what threats the Germans possess. But Arsenal back themselves against anyone now. The preparation ahead of the two ties won’t be ‘how can we stop Bayern?’ It will be ‘how can we hurt Bayern?’. They will look to take the game to them and I think they are more than capable of doing that.
“I think it’s going to be a fantastic two games. A Champions League tie to really look forward to.”