Arsenal’s reward for scrapping past FC Porto over two legs is a tasty clash with Bayern Munich, which brings back very unpleasant memories. Arsenal’s last appearance in the Champions League was as far back as 2017, losing 10-2 in two legs against Bayern Munich, and after that, the team spent a while in the Europa League trenches, before the triumphant return this season, following the title challenging campaign.
However, there is a different gulf in class between the Arsenal that was manhandled by Bayern and this current crop of Gunners. For starters, Bayern Munich doesn’t have the fear factor of the yesteryear, trailing 10 points to the amazing unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen side managed by Xabi Alonso, losing four games in the Bundesliga this season to the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt, VFL Bochum, Werder Bremen and Leverkusen themselves. Like Jurgen Klopp and Xavi Hernandez, current Bayern Munich boss, Thomas Tuchel, is set to leave the club at the end of the season, a decision made by the board, after losing confidence in him following his struggling Bundesliga title challenge.
There is also the update that Bayern Munich’s away clash at the Emirates will be played without any Bavarian fans in the stands, following an incident in the win over Lazio, where fireworks were thrown into the pitch, deliberately aimed at the opposition players. UEFA has also notified Arsenal that the allocations for the Bayern fans can be sold to willing Arsenal fans, meaning that all 60,704 seats at the Emirates can be Arsenal-strong.
Bayern Munich’s CEO grudgingly accepted the decision, stating,
“We have to accept this punishment. Not only were pyrotechnics set off, but also fired deliberately onto the field, directly endangering bystanders. This was such an explicit violation of the conditions of probation that an appeal is unfortunately futile. The fact we now have to play away without the support of our fans is a big blow. A small group of individual offenders have done a disservice to all our supporters and the team.”
I’m under no illusions about the two legged tie with Bayern Munich. They have the experience, pedigree and class to have a sustained challenge in the competition and Arsenal will need to put up a strong showing over the two legs, especially with the added advantage of playing in front of only their home fans in the first leg on April 9th.
After 14 years, Arsenal is currently in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League and its an elite position to be in. The other games are blockbusters, with Manchester City taking on Real Madrid for the umpteenth time, PSG locking horns with Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund playing Atletico Madrid. The semifinals have also been set, with the winner of the Arsenal vs. Bayern game taking on the winner of the Real Madrid vs. Manchester City clash.
There are a couple of Premier League games to be played before we think of Europe, so all focus would be on the international break and we certainly hope that our players will come back unscathed from their national teams sojourns.
Sayonara.
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