Returning to the positioning of many Champions League disappointments, Arsenal will take to the Allianz Arena turf on Wednesday evening for the second leg of their quarterfinal conflict with Bayern Munich.
Last week’s match on the Emirates Stadium lived as much as expectations, however Mikel Arteta’s crew was left ruing uncharacteristic errors in a 2-2 draw with the previous Bundesliga champions. Despite the absence of away followers, Bayern managed to safe a hard-fought draw.
Former Arsenal academy gamers Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane made their mark for Bayern Munich, with each gamers scoring towards their former membership. Bukayo Saka’s purpose initially sparked hope for Arsenal, however Bayern’s superior particular person high quality ultimately proved decisive. Gnabry and Kane’s targets, together with a late strike from Leandro Trossard, denied Arsenal a vital victory.
The Bavarians narrowly escaped a tense second on the finish of the match when Manuel Neuer’s collision with Saka was not deemed a penalty, a lot to Arsenal’s dismay. The 2-2 draw on the Emirates Stadium is a positive outcome for Bayern, even with out the away targets rule.
Bayern Munich, who have been hoping to win the German top-flight title, managed to delay Bayer Leverkusen’s coronation by defeating Koln 2-0 on Saturday. However, Bayer Leverkusen’s complete 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen the next day ended Bayern’s 11-year reign of supremacy within the Bundesliga.
The removing of home competitors could inject new vitality into Bayern, who now have solely the pursuit of European success left of their season. The crew has a powerful document in Champions League knockout ties, advancing from 17 of their final 18 ties when avoiding defeat within the first leg. They have additionally been unbeaten of their final 14 residence matches within the Champions League.
However, Bayern’s solely elimination in that sequence got here towards English opposition within the 2018-19 season after they misplaced to Liverpool. Arsenal had an opportunity to capitalize on Liverpool’s slip-up towards Crystal Palace within the Premier League title race however failed to take action. After dominating the primary half towards Aston Villa, Arsenal suffered a 2-1 defeat, with targets from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins securing the win for Villa and giving Unai Emery, Arsenal’s former supervisor, the final snort towards his previous membership.
Some skeptical Arsenal followers have already resigned themselves to a different title disappointment as Mikel Arteta’s crew trails Manchester City by two factors after their first Premier League defeat of 2024. The loss to Villa uncovered a scarcity of first-half management, resulting in their eventual defeat regardless of a powerful second-half displaying from Villa.
Arteta and his crew can’t dwell on Sunday’s loss for too lengthy. Arsenal’s spectacular defensive document away from residence, conceding only one purpose of their final six away matches and conserving clear sheets within the final three, supplies a supply of encouragement for the touring supporters.
However, recollections of previous humiliations on the Allianz Arena hang-out Arsenal as they return to Munich, having suffered successive 5-1 defeats to Bayern in 2015 and 2017. Out of their six away video games towards Bayern, Arsenal have solely gained as soon as, a 2-0 victory in March 2013 that was finally inconsequential as a result of abolished away targets rule.
Bayern Munich faces their very own challenges, with accidents affecting key gamers like Alphonso Davies, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, and Kingsley Coman. While Manuel Neuer is anticipated to be match, the absence of a number of key gamers could pose a major problem for Bayern boss Tuchel.
Tuchel and Arteta can empathize with one another’s issues relating to their attacking choices. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard couldn’t full the complete 90 minutes within the loss to Villa attributable to an unspecified challenge, elevating issues about his health for the second leg.
Jurrien Timber will certainly be absent as he continues his restoration from a devastating ACL harm. However, there may be hope that the Dutchman will make his long-awaited comeback in May. Arteta could contemplate modifications within the full-back positions.
Following Oleksandr Zinchenko’s underwhelming efficiency towards Villa and Jakub Kiwior’s struggles towards Bayern’s dynamic wingers final week, Takehiro Tomiyasu is perhaps chosen from the beginning this time round.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
