Key events
2 min: Pinball + hot potato = shapeless first 120 seconds.
Vincent Kompany and Mikel Arteta worked with each other at Manchester City. When the former emerges from the tunnel, the pair embrace warmly and have a quick catch-up. And then Arsenal get the game started.
The teams are out! Bayern are in one of their all-red phases, while Arsenal are harking back to the early 90s with a blue version of the famous bruised banana. Vincent Kompany is in the house, by the way, having recovered from a virus that threatened to keep him in bed. And so is Germany boss Jurgen Klopp, in the stands flashing that smile and throwing his arm around the shoulder of another erstwhile Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez. Everyone having a good time, it seems, and looking forward to this big showdown, including Arsenal fan Charles Antaki … well, kind of: “Pretty dismal, the fare served up in the game against Forest. But! Pundits have assured us that because Bayern are going to be on the attack, Arsenal will be free to entertain us with a dazzling display of skill, ambition, irresistible cheeks and above all, goals. Not much to say about that except We Shall See.” We’ll be off in a minute or two.
Mikel Arteta speaks to TNT Sports. “We’re gonna have to play, I expect, three or four different games at different stages … we need everybody ready because we need to change and adapt to that … freshness … very excited … we have talked about our enthusiasm for playing on these big stages … that’s where you want to get tested … play with a lot of courage … a lot of aggression … be decisive … we have prepared for what we have to do.”
There are plenty of other Champions League matches about to kick off tonight. Sarah Rendell has you covered in the latest edition of your super soaraway Clocko. Get on it!
Shoogly Peg news. Michael Carrick’s coat is hanging on one. The first big result of the evening is in, and Simon Burnton has all the details.
More scene-setting. Courtesy of our man David Hytner in Munich.
Look at that bench; Arsenal’s squad goes deep. Which doesn’t necessarily explain the headline below … but it can’t not help. The good people o’ Opta explain all.
Bayern are without Joshua Kimmich following a death in his immediate family. Harry Kane leads the line, while former Liverpool winger Luis Diaz is on the bench. Michael Olise is suspended following his two-yellows-in-two-minutes fiasco during the 3-3 draw at Viking.
Arsenal make two changes to their starting XI following the staunch 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest. Noni Madueke and Jurriën Timber replace Eberechi Eze and Ben White, who drop to the bench.
The teams
Bayern Munich: Neuer, Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Stanisic, Pavlovic, Bischof, Gnabry, Saibari, Davies, Kane.
Subs: Ulreich, Urbig, Tah, Brown, Diaz, Ito, Boey, Ndiaye, Karl, Binder.
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori, Odegaard, Rice, Guimaraes, Saka, Havertz, Madueke.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Meslier, Mosquera, White, Eze, Gyokeres, Merino, Zubimendi, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman.
Referee: Davide Massa (Italy).
Preamble
Arsenal’s last three visits to Munich have ended badly. In reverse order: 0-1 (2024), 1-5 (2017), 1-5 (2015). All three worthy of a large bräukeller-infused GULP. On the other hand, Arsenal won the last meeting between these two sides, 3-1 last November at the Emirates, and they go into this match having won 10 of their 11 games in all competitions so far this season. Bayern by contrast aren’t at their usual steamrolling best: OK, they’ve just mullered RB Leipzig 6-1, but before that they dropped Bundesliga points at Augsburg (2-2) and should really have been beaten by Viking in a 3-3 draw last week. So both teams have positives to draw on and negatives to try their best to ignore. Kick-off is at 8pm BST. It’s on!
