Joleon Lescott has told Arsenal what Harry Kane ‘will crave’ ahead of Bayern Munich visiting Emirates Stadium for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
The Gunners welcome Der FCB to north London on Tuesday night for the clubs’ first meeting since March 2017. It also marks Arsenal’s return to the final eight phase of UEFA’s elite team tournament for the first time since they exited the Champions League to Barcelona in 2010.
Arsenal will need to revert the course of their recent history with Bayern Munich to progress to the semi-finals for the first time since May 2009, too. The Bavarian powerhouse advanced through their past four knockout stage meetings stretching back to the 2004/05 campaign.
Arsenal will face a familiar foe in Harry Kane when Bayern Munich visit Emirates Stadium
Bayern Munich have even won each of their past three games against Arsenal 5-1 and boast a familiar foe in Kane this time. The England captain switched north London for Germany in August after facing the Gunners 19 times for rivals Tottenham Hotspur since February 2015.
Kane further boasts seven wins plus five draws across his games with Arsenal prior to joining Bayern Munich last summer. He has also scored 14 goals and laid on another three assists so far. Of his goals against the Gunners, 14 were over 17 Premier League north London derbies.
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Bayern Munich may be about to see Bayer Leverkusen end their decade of dominance in the Bundesliga this season but Kane is still in imperious form ahead of visiting Arsenal, too. The 30-year-old has scored 38 and assisted 12 goals in 37 matches this season with Der FCB.
Harry Kane would have hand-picked Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals
Now, former England defender Lescott warns Arsenal that Kane will return to north London intent on reminding the Gunners of who the Bayern Munich star is. He also feels the striker would have chosen to face Mikel Arteta’s men if given the choice of any quarter-final team.
“I think that if Harry was given the choice of who to play in the Champions League over two legs, he would have gone for Arsenal,” Lescott has told the Mirror. “That’s the kind of player he is. He will crave this kind of scenario. Harry went to Bayern to play in games like these.”
Arsenal will, no doubt, also want to offer Kane a reminder that he only won once at Emirates Stadium with Tottenham when Bayern Munich visit. The forward visited the Gunners’ home nine times but only sealed a victory in the EFL Cup with five league defeats and three draws.