Arsenal vs Bayern Munich LIVE!
The Champions League quarter-finals are upon us as north London plays host to a blockbuster first-leg tie tonight. Arsenal are back on this stage for the first time in 14 years after their thrilling penalty shootout win over Porto in the last-16 and eager to prove themselves as real contenders in Europe amid a glorious run of form in 2024 that has seen them win 10 of their last 11 Premier League games to top the table.
They will be keen to show Bayern that they are a completely different animal to the teams routinely ousted from this competition by dominant Bayern during the last decade, with the German giants enjoying a miserable season by their usual standards despite the scintillating form of Harry Kane as they sit 16 points off the Bundesliga title pace under Thomas Tuchel, who will be leaving in the summer. They won’t be helped this evening by having no away fans in attendance due to a Uefa ban.
Tonight’s game will go ahead with security enhanced after an alleged terror threat against European venues from the Islamic State group (ISIS). Follow Arsenal vs Bayern Munich live below, featuring expert analysis from Simon Collings and Dan Kilpatrick at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal vs Bayern Munich updates
Kick-off time: 8pm BST | Emirates Stadium
How to watch: TNT Sports
Arsenal team news: Arteta facing tough calls
Bayern Munich team news: Five back fit
Score prediction
Arsenal lineup
19:04 , George Flood
And here’s how Arsenal shape up tonight…
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
🔙 Kiwior in at left-back⚡️ Martinelli on the wing💪 Havertz leads the line
Let’s make it count, Gunners 👊 pic.twitter.com/fRctf9TuqD
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 9, 2024
Bayern Munich lineup
18:59 , George Flood
The Bayern Munich team has landed first…
Lineups on the way
18:46 , George Flood
Very close now to the official lineups dropping from the Emirates.
Will it be Gabriel Martinelli or Gabriel Jesus who lines up on the left for Arsenal tonight?
And will Oleksandr Zinchenko keep his place at the back, or could we see either Takehiro Tomiyasu or Jakub Kiwior instead?
Decisions, decisions for Mikel Arteta…
Tuchel: Bayern Munich want to cause Arsenal ‘pain’
18:36 , George Flood
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel fanned the flames of this previously familiar Champions League rivalry at his own pre-match press conference yesterday, insisting that Bayern Munich want to inflict “pain” on the in-form Gunners.
“Arsenal are currently the best team in the Premier League and that is deserved, all the data shows that,” Tuchel said.
“They are in great form and have been at the highest level for the last two seasons so it’s a massive test for us.
“It’s the second year for them where they’re playing at this really high level, they have so much energy on the pitch and they can keep it for a long time.
“We know about our own strengths and how we want to cause them pain.
“We know the Champions League is a competition where we have more experience over the last few years. We want to use it to our advantage.”
(John Walton/PA Wire)
Arteta: Arsenal’s previous hammering by Bayern ‘irrelevant’
18:24 , George Flood
Arsenal’s record against Bayern Munich is very disappointing to put it mildly, with the Gunners having been humiliated with a 10-2 aggregate defeat in their last Champions League tie in 2017.
It marked the seventh season in a row that Arsenal had been ousted at the last-16 stage and they had not been back to the competition until this term.
Both of those legs were bruising 5-1 defeats, as was their previous meeting during the group stage in 2015.
However, Mikel Arteta believes those previous results mean nothing ahead of this quarter-final tie.
“It’s irrelevant, we just focus on the performance that we have to put in to beat a top and exceptional team with exceptional individuals,” he said.
“We have to earn every right to try to make it happen.
“We haven’t been in this position for 14 years. For this club it’s a long, long time and we realise that and that’s why we have this hunger and desire to make it happen.
“This is where we want to be. We are in a really good position in the Premier League and we’re in a really good position in the Champions League.
“We have a big task ahead of us against one of the most successful clubs in Europe. That’s the hurdle we have to overcome and we’re looking forward to it.”
(AFP via Getty Images)
Arteta coy on Xabi Alonso advice on toppling Bayern
18:04 , George Flood
Mikel Arteta also refused to confirm or deny if he had sought any advice from friend, compatriot and former team-mate Xabi Alonso on how to beat this version of Bayern Munich.
“Great question. I’m not going to answer that!” he said.
Leverkusen brushed Bayern aside 3-0 in February after a pulsating 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena back in September.
(Getty Images)
Arteta expecting ‘best possible Bayern’ despite domestic disaster
17:56 , George Flood
It has been a dreadful domestic season by Bayern’s lofty standards, with their staggering run of 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles set to be ended this season by Xabi Alonso’s brilliant Bayer Leverkusen, who are 16 points clear with only six games left to play.
Thomas Tuchel’s departure as manager at the end of the season has already been confirmed, with Bayern – along with Liverpool – failing to coax Alonso away from Leverkusen as they are instead linked with the likes of Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi.
The 3-2 loss at Heidenheim – which brought renewed questions over whether Tuchel would even see out the season – was a new low for Bayern, who were also bested by Borussia Dortmund last week after their 3-0 Champions League last-16 second-leg win over Lazio was initially followed by thumping wins over Mainz and Darmstadt.
(REUTERS)
However, Mikel Arteta does not believe those unfamiliar struggles will make things any easier for Arsenal in this quarter-final showdown.
“From my side, no,” he said at Monday’s pre-match press conference.
“It’s something we have no say in, no control of. We just expect all the time the best from your opponent.
“Against Bayern, against any opponent, regardless of where they are you always have to expect that they play in their best possible way and be prepared to out perform them.
“Football is such a competitive environment and difficult to be consistent that this can happen to anybody.
“They are a top team. I am a big admirer of Thomas: his teams, the way they set up, the way they play, what they transmit.
“We have to take our game where we want it and if we do that we’ll have a chance to win.”
17:40 , George Flood
Here are more responses from Arsenal and Uefa on tonight’s match going ahead as planned after a media outlet linked to ISIS issued a threat to all four Champions League quarter-final ties this week.
“We work closely with the Metropolitan Police regarding the safety and security of all supporters and staff at Emirates Stadium for all our matches,” an Arsenal spokesperson said.
“Our planning for tonight’s fixture is no different and our approach, working together with the Police and UEFA, is proportionate to the current UK threat level.”
Uefa said: “UEFA is aware of alleged terrorist threats made towards this week’s UEFA Champions League matches and is closely liaising with the authorities at the respective venues.
“All matches are planned to go ahead as scheduled with appropriate security arrangements in place.”
(REUTERS)
Arsenal vs Bayern Munich to go ahead with increased security after threat
17:39 , George Flood
Tonight’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg ties in London and Madrid are going ahead as planned with increased security after a reported threat from the Islamic State group.
“The UK terrorism threat level remains at ‘substantial’ meaning an attack is likely, and we work closely with colleagues from across Counter Terrorism Policing in planning for events here in London, to take into account any relevant information that could help us to keep those attending safe,” said deputy assistant commissioner Ade Adelekan, overseeing the policing of London today.”We’re aware of online and media reports in relation to calls to target matches across Europe and here in London.
“However, I want to reassure the public that we have a robust policing plan in place for tonight’s match and we continue to work closely alongside the club’s security team to ensure that the match passes peacefully.“As ever, we ask the public to remain vigilant, and if they see anything that doesn’t look or feel right, then report it to police or security staff.”
(Zac Goodwin/PA Wire)
Predicted lineups
17:37 , George Flood
We’re less than 90 minutes away from full team news from the Emirates, but here’s how Standard Sport sees both sides lining up for tonight’s game.
We fancy Arsenal to be unchanged from their comfortable win at Brighton on Saturday, while Manuel Neuer should return for Bayern in a huge boost in goal.
The likes of former Tottenham defender Eric Dier should also return along with Matthijs de Ligt, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Leroy Sane.
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Jesus
Predicted Bayern XI (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Kimmich, De Ligt, Dier, Davies; Pavlovic, Goretzka; Sane, Muller, Musiala; Kane
Score prediction
17:08 , George Flood
Arsenal put in a hugely confident performance to beat Brighton, while Bayern head to London having lost back-to-back league games to effectively end their title hopes.
All signs point to a home win and the Gunners picking up a crucial first-leg advantage.
Bayern will need to be at their best or could be out of the tie before the second leg.
Arsenal to win, 2-0
(Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Early Bayern Munich team news
17:07 , George Flood
Bayern’s miserable Bundesliga season slumped to a new low at the weekend as they blew a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 away at minnows Heidenheim.
However, their chances of securing a positive result tonight to take back to Germany for next week’s second leg have been boosted after Manuel Neuer, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, Noussair Mazraoui and Aleksandar Pavlovic all returned to training on Monday.
Gabriel Marusic, Tarek Buchmann, Bouna Sarr, Sacha Boey and Noel Aseko are all still sidelined, however.
Bayern’s attack is of course led by England captain Harry Kane, who has defied the team’s struggles to net 38 goals in just 37 appearances across all competitions in his first season at the Allianz Arena.
Former Tottenham stalwart Kane has scored the most goals against Arsenal of any player in Premier League history and is the all-time top scorer in north London derbies.
(Getty Images)
Early Arsenal team news
17:01 , George Flood
In-form Arsenal have essentially an entirely clean bill of health before tonight’s game, with long-term absentee Jurrien Timber now back in full training and pushing to make his return soon.
Bukayo Saka is ready after his recent fitness battles, scoring a penalty in Saturday evening’s impressive 3-0 Premier League win at Brighton before being substituted midway through the second half.
Mikel Arteta faces a few tough selection calls with everyone available for such a high-profile fixture, with Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko both hoping to retain their starting berths from the Amex.
Gabriel Martinelli and Takehiro Tomiyasu are among those pushing to return to the Arsenal starting XI tonight.
(AFP via Getty Images)
How to watch Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
16:55 , George Flood
TV channel: In the UK, tonight’s game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage beginning at 7pm BST.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Welcome
16:50 , George Flood
Good afternoon and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of Arsenal vs Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition are finally upon us and it promises to be a cracking first-leg showdown at the Emirates Stadium tonight.
We’ve got plenty of build-up to an 8pm BST kick-off ahead plus all the latest team news and live updates, so stick with us throughout the night.
Standard Sport’s Arsenal reporter Simon Collings will also be on hand to deliver his expert analysis from the Emirates.
(Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
