What: Matchday 5, League stage, UEFA Champions League
Where: Emirates Stadium, North London, England, UK
When: Wednesday 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT, before our text commentary stream.
English Premier League leaders Arsenal hosted top-ranked German Bundesliga side Bayern Munich on Wednesday in a heavyweight UEFA Champions League (UCL) match between the two leading European mega clubs.
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Both teams are also ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the current UCL standings, with both clubs having excellent records in the league stage of the competition.
Here’s what to know ahead of their clash with the table-toppers at the Emirates Stadium:
Who have Arsenal and Bayern Munich defeated so far in the UCL league stage?
After four match days in the league stage, Bayern Munich is on top with four wins and a maximum of 12 points against Chelsea (3-0), Paphos (5-1), Club Brugge (4-0) and most recently, a win over reigning UCL champions Paris Saint-Germain (2-1) in France on 4 November.
Arsenal are equal to their German rivals in second place on points (12) and goal difference (+11). Their four wins have come against Athletic Bilbao (2–0), Olympiacos (2–0), Atlético Madrid (4–0) and Slavia Praha (3–0).
The only other team left in the competition with a perfect 4-0 record is Inter Milan.
Will Odegaard play against Bayern Munich?
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is likely to play against Bayern Munich in what would be his first match 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 confirmed that Odegaard is under consideration for Wednesday’s match.
“He (Odegard) was very close in the last game. We hope that tomorrow (Wednesday) he can also be in the team.”
Where did Arsenal and Bayern Munich finish in the Champions League last season?
The Gunners reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2008–09, defeating Real Madrid in the quarter-finals (5–1 on aggregate) and losing to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern Munich’s UCL campaign ended with a closely contested defeat to Inter Milan (4–3 on aggregate) at the quarter-final stage.
Form guide: last five matches
Arsenal: WWWDW (Premier League, latest results final)
Bayern Munich: WWWDW (Bundesliga, latest results final)
Head to head: Arsenal-Bayern Munich
The two sides last played on April 17, 2024, with Joshua Kimmich’s 63rd-minute header giving Bayern Munich a 1–0 quarterfinal win over Arsenal in the Champions League (3–2 on aggregate), sending the Germans through to the last four of the 2023–24 competition.
In total, the two sides have played against each other 14 times, with Bayern dominating the historical matchups:
- Bayern Munich – 8 wins
- Arsenal – 3 wins
- Draw – 3
arsenal team news
Arsenal will take the field against Bayern without any recognized striker, with Kai Havertz (knee) and Victor Gyöckeres (hamstring) still recovering from injuries.
Gabriel Jesus will also miss the Champions League, although the Brazilian forward is back in full training after knee surgery.
“To be honest, he is very close and earlier than we expected,” Arteta said.
“In the next few days, he’s going to take another step with a game that we’re going to organize for him. After that, he’s just going to be knocking on the door.
Arsenal’s probable starting XI
Raya (goalkeeper); Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelley; Eze, zubimendi, rice; Saka, Merino, Trossard
bayern munich team news
Kimmich, the player who buried Arsenal the last time they played in 2024, was a question mark at the start of the week after sustaining a knock picked up during the FIFA international break, but is believed to be ready to play on Wednesday.
Explosive winger Luis Diaz has been suspended for the Arsenal clash. The Colombian is likely to be replaced by rising 17-year-old star Lennart Karl, who became Bayern’s youngest-ever Champions League scorer when he started against Brugge on October 22.
Injured duo Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davis will not be available for selection.
Bayern manager Vincent Kompany will again lead the line alongside English international Harry Kane, who has returned to his home city of London for this match.
Bayern Munich’s probable starting XI:
Neuer (goalkeeper); Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Guerreiro; Pavlovich, Kimmich; Olisse, Carl, Gnabry; ken
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