Arsenal are set to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, and they will come up against some familiar faces.
This is the first time Arsenal will face Bayern since 2017, but they have been dealt some serious blows by the German giants in the past.
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Arsene Wenger’s side were knocked out of the competition in the round of 16 by Bayern three times in five years, and whilst very few of Mikel Arteta’s squad were at the club during this period, the Spaniard himself will remember some brutal clashes with them.
On the other side, Bayern still have Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller as veterans who have appeared against Arsenal on several occasions dating back to over a decade ago, and Muller has now spoken about the upcoming tie.
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Thomas Muller backs Bayern Munich to beat Arsenal in Champions League
Speaking to Sky Germany, Muller admitted that this Arsenal side would provide a different test to ones he has previously faced, but emphasised his confidence ahead of the tie.
“Anyone who followed the draw will know that we probably have the toughest road to the final. But maybe that’s exactly our path,” he stated.
“This is no longer the Arsenal that Bayern have always comfortably dispatched in the past. It will be a big task, but I’m convinced that we will beat the Gunners.”
Arsenal are a different side to previous ones who faced Bayern
Arsenal will head into this tie with Bayern more confident than older squads were in any of the last few meetings between the two sides.
Although Arsenal had plenty of attacking talent, even in 2017, they had a soft centre which was ripped apart with ease by the likes of Muller and Robert Lewandowski, and defensively, Wenger’s side could not compete with teams like Bayern.
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Arteta has built arguably the best defence in Europe, and with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in excellent form, Arsenal will hope to shut Bayern out whilst playing their own game, and may hope their strong domestic form continues in Europe.
Bayern meanwhile, are set to lose the Bundesliga title for the first time in over a decade, and manager Thomas Tuchel will leave his post at the end of the season, and Arsenal have the chance to inflict even more misery onto them.