Arsenal are set to face Bayern Munich in a Champions League quarter-final tonight, and there will be plenty of focus on some opposition players.
Mikel Arteta’s side will come up against familiar foes in Harry Kane and Eric Dier, whilst Bayern star Joshua Kimmich has been linked with a move to the Emirates this summer.
Winger Serge Gnabry may also feature, and this will be the first time the German returns to Arsenal since departing in 2017.
Gnabry made 18 appearances for the club after breaking through from the academy, having previously joined from Stuttgart’s youth side in 2011.
He was a promising talent under Arsene Wenger, but injuries hampered his progress before he eventually made a surprise departure, and he has since thrived at Bayern. However, he has now hailed one former teammate from his Arsenal days.
Serge Gnabry hails Mikel Arteta after playing together at Arsenal
Speaking to Bayern Munich club media, Gnabry praised his former teammate, and current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, for how he helped him when coming through the ranks at the Emirates.
“He’s now fully absorbed in his role as coach and thinks very strategically,” Gnabry stated of the Spaniard.
“In my time, he was already an experienced player. He was the captain, a leader who spoke to everyone and communicated a lot.
“He was very helpful to us as young players back then. He built us up, always gave us good tips, always tried to guide us so that we stayed focused and gave everything.”
Serge Gnabry returns to London to face Arsenal in Champions League
Whilst this will be Gnabry’s first return to the Emirates since leaving, it will not be his first return to London in European competition.
The 28-year-old faced Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019-20 group stages with Bayern, and delighted Arsenal fans with his performance, as he scored a remarkable four goals, and provided an assist, in a stunning 7-2 victory away at Wembley.
In that same season, Gnabry returned to London again to face Chelsea, and scored twice at Stamford Bridge in a 3-0 victory for Bayern, helping knock another one of Arsenal’s heated rivals out of Europe.
This record could make him a dangerous threat at the Emirates tonight, but given that Gnabry has struggled with injury, scoring three times in just nine Bundesliga appearances this season, he is far from his best form which saw him win the Champions League as one of the best wingers in the world four years ago.