Match Preview
Arsenal and Bayern Munich meet for the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals with both having their sights set on advancing to the semis. Arsenal will host Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinals at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday‚ April 9.
Team News
For this stage of the season‚ while many other clubs suffer countless injuries that have decimated their rosters‚ Arsenal sport a shockingly fit squad. The Gunners are only missing Jurrien Timber who went down early in the campaign with an ACL tear‚ and looks close to a return. Otherwise‚ there are no fitness issues for Mikel Arteta to work around‚ a massive advantage with two huge title fights to come.
While Bayern Munich have a few fitness concerns for Thomas Tuchel to consider‚ they too enjoy a solid bill of health. Aleksandar Pavlovic missed the last match due to illness and is a doubt‚ but Leroy Sane ‚ Manuel Neuer ‚ and Noussair Mazraoui are all expected to prove fit to participate. The fitness of Kingsley Coman is still up in the air due to a thigh injury‚ but otherwise all first-choice players are available for selection.
Betting Odds
Here is how bookies rate both teams chances‚ according to the odds from our betting partner Megapari⁚ Arsenal ‒ 1.78 Draw ⎯ 4.21
Odds via bet365. Get up-to-the-minute Soccer odds here. One week ago‚ Arsenal entered their Champions League tie as the clear favorite to advance against Bayern Munich in the public eye and in the betting markets. Arsenal also led the Premier League table with seven matches to play.
A week later‚ Bayern now have the small edge ...
Match Prediction
With Bayern Munich floundering domestically but Arsenal amidst the thick of the Premier League title race‚ the Gunners are heavy favourites at home against the German side. Since their three-match losing streak bracketing New Years Day‚ Arsenal have lost just once in 2024‚ coming in the first leg of their Round of 16 matchup against Porto on the road.
Furthermore‚ since the start of March‚ Arsenal have conceded just a single goal across six games‚ including matches against Manchester City and Porto.
Bayern will know they simply need to keep themselves within striking distance to have a chance of progressing in the second leg. They were beaten 1-0 at Lazio to begin their Round of 16 matchup but triumphed 3-0 at home to advance‚ marking the second time in their last four attempts of successfully turning around a first-leg defeat in the UCL knockouts.
Almost all of Bayern Munichs adverse results this year have come on the road since the start of February‚ Bayern have lost to Bayer Leverkusen‚ Heidenheim‚ Bochum‚ and Lazio away from home‚ plus a draw with Freiburg. Another adverse result in a big home game against Borussia Dortmund serves to show how Bayern have pretty much punted on the league and focused on Europe‚ but their road form is the more concerning aspect.
The Gunners have one of the most organised defensive units in Europe‚ conceding just three goals in their last nine Premier League games‚ and Arsenal are happy to grind out games when necessary. Right now‚ Arsenal are simply the better team‚ and theyre worth backing not only in this match but across the two-legged tie as well.
Key Players
These are the two most dangerous chance creators on each team‚ and the two are in good form in both the creativity and finishing departments. If there are goals in this game‚ they will come from the playmaking of these two individuals.
Odegaard has been solid in front of goal‚ scoring three times in league play since the start of February. However‚ hes been let down in the assist department‚ without a goal feed in his last six games despite 1.43 xA worth of key passes. The problem for the Norwegian is that Arsenals best and most prolific finisher‚ Bukayo Saka‚ usually creates his own opportunities‚ and that leaves Odegaard to feed the teams worst finishers in Kai Havertz (starting) and Gabriel Jesus (benched). Still‚ he should eventually come good on this‚ and in a home match against defensively vulnerable Bayern‚ there will be plenty of opportunities to either score or create.
For Bayern‚ they are up against one of Europes most smothering defensive units‚ but they still create loads of opportunities. The clubs most in-form attacker right now is Serge Gnabry‚ but hes mostly been relegated to a substitute role‚ and he got a rare start against Heidenheim over the weekend‚ indicating he could be dropped to the bench again as Thomas Tuchel rotates his side and prioritises European play.
Jamal Musiala has been the most electric starter‚ with five goals and four assists in the clubs last seven league games. His Champions League performances have been less profitable‚ but even so‚ he was unlucky in the 3-0 win over Lazio‚ ripping off five shots and creating four chances for teammates despite finishing without a goal contribution. The 21-year-old is still working on his consistency‚ but theyll need him here to generate a road result.
Where to Watch
This enormous Champions League matchup will be televised in the United States on CBS‚ with the rights-holders placing the massive tilt on a network television channel. CBS is available to stream on Fubo‚ and the match will also be streamed on CBS Sports dedicated platform Paramount‚ as every Champions League match across the season is. Finally‚ there is a Spanish-language stream available on ViX.
In the UK‚ the match will be televised domestically on TNT Sports 1‚ and streamed on the broadcasters dedicated streaming service discovery. In Canada‚ the exclusive broadcast provider for the UEFA Champions League is DAZN‚ who will stream this as they do every game across this years UCL competition.
