Who: Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
Contents: Matchday 5, League Phase, UEFA Champions League
Location: Emirates Stadium, North London, England, United Kingdom
Date and time: Wednesday 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: All content will be broadcast on Al Jazeera Sports from 17:00 GMT, ahead of the text commentary stream.
On Wednesday, English Premier League leaders Arsenal will host Bayern Munich, leaders of the German Bundesliga, in a heavyweight UEFA Champions League (UCL) clash between two of Europe’s most influential mega-clubs.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Both teams are also ranked first and second in the current UCL standings, with both clubs maintaining perfect records in the league phase of the competition.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the top-of-the-table showdown at Emirates Stadium.
Who have Arsenal and Bayern Munich beaten so far in the UCL league phase?
After four matches of the league phase, Bayern Munich are at the top of the table with a maximum of 12 points, with four wins against Chelsea (3-0), Paphos (5-1) and Club Brugge (4-0), most recently with an away win over current UCL champions Paris Saint-Germain in France on 4 November (2-1).
Arsenal are tied for second place with their German rivals on points (12) and goal difference (+11). The fourth win came against Athletic Bilbao (2-0), Olympiakos (2-0), Atlético Madrid (4-0) and Slavia Prague (3-0).
Inter Milan are the only team remaining in the competition with a perfect 4-0 record.
Will Odegaard play against Bayern Munich?
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is likely to feature in the game against Bayern Munich, his first game since suffering a knee injury in early October.
The Norwegian midfielder took part in training on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to join the squad.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Odegaard is under consideration for Wednesday’s match.
“He (Odegaard) was very close in the last game and we expect him to be in the team tomorrow (Wednesday) as well.”
Where did Arsenal and Bayern Munich finish in last season’s Champions League?
The Gunners reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since the 2008-09 season, defeating Real Madrid in the quarter-finals (5-1 on aggregate), but lost to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern Munich’s UCL campaign ended with a close defeat (4-3 on aggregate) to Inter Milan in the quarter-final stage.
Form Guide: Last 5 matches
Arsenal: WWWWW (Premier League, latest results are last)
Bayern Munich: WWWWW (Bundesliga, latest results are last)
Matchup: Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich
The two teams last faced each other on April 17, 2024, in the Champions League, with Joshua Kimmich’s 63rd-minute header giving Bayern Munich a 1-0 (3-2 aggregate) win over Arsenal in the quarter-finals, and the Germans progressing to the last four of the 2023-24 season.
The two teams have met 14 times in total, with Bayern dominating in the historic encounter.
Bayern Munich – 8 wins Arsenal – 3 wins Draw – 3
arsenal team news
Arsenal will be without a recognized striker against Bayern as Kai Havertz (knee) and Viktor Gökeres (hamstring) are still recovering from injuries.
Gabriel Jesus will also miss out on the Champions League, but the Brazilian forward has returned to full training after undergoing knee surgery.
“To be fair, he came quite close, but it was earlier than expected,” Arteta said.
“In the next few days he will take another step forward in the matches we organize for him and then he will just knock on the door.
Candidates for Arsenal’s starting lineup
Raya (goalkeeper); Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Lewis Skelly. Eze, Zubimendi, Rice. Saka, Merino, Trossard
Bayern Munich team news
Kimmich, the player who cost Arsenal the last time they faced each other in 2024, was a question mark earlier in the week following the shock he received during the FIFA international break, but is thought to be ready to play on Wednesday.
Explosive winger Luis Diaz was suspended for the game against Arsenal. The Colombian could be replaced by 17-year-old rising star Lennart Karl, who started against Brugge on October 22 and became Bayern’s youngest ever Champions League scorer.
Injured duo Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies will not be selected.
Bayern manager Vincent Kompany will once again be in charge of the team, with England international Harry Kane returning to his hometown of London for the match.
Bayern Munich starting candidates:
Neuer (goalkeeper) Reimer, Upamecano, Tarr, Guerreiro. Pavlovich, Kimmich. Olise, Carl, Gnabry. Kane
