Champions League: Bavarians Drinking in Last Chance Saloon

Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

To say this Champions League quarter-final tie is last chance saloon for Bayern Munich this season is an understatement.

Their 3-2 reverse at FC Heidenheim on Saturday in the Bundesliga, which left them 16 points off the summit (their hopes of retaining the German title long over), was just the latest setback in what has been a hugely disappointing campaign.

All that is remaining now is a shot at Euro glory and some Champions League 2024 highlights to save their season.

So can the class of 2024 match the achievements of the 2020 champions of Europe?

Talking Points

Bayern may have already announced the club will part company with manager Thomas Tuchel at the end of this season—and it’s just a year since he was appointed—but that does not mean there’s any less pressure on the Bavarians.

Indeed, their midweek Champions League quarter-final with Arsenal really is the final opportunity for the soon-to-be deposed German champions to win anything this year.

That was not part of the plan.

Bayern are used to dominating at home and, sometimes, abroad.

Even last season, when they were below par and reeling from the loss of goal scorer supreme Robert Lewandowski, they were still able to take advantage of a nervous final day for Borussia Dortmund and claim their 11^th successive Bundesliga title.

When they brought in another goal scorer supreme in the summer, in the shape of England captain Harry Kane, many (myself included) believed that everyone else in the German top flight was playing for second place.

Now, quite frankly, Bayern have been below par, but the run Bayer Leverkusen have put together has been nothing short of sensational, and, at the time of writing, they remain unbeaten this season domestically and in Europe.

Coupled with their shock exit in the German Cup at the hands of third-division Saarbruecken in November, the Champions League is all Bayern have left to play for.

Despite their struggles, Kane’s stock has continued to rise, and his 38 goals in all competitions to date have cemented his place as one of the best frontmen in world football.

Now he hopes to put one over his former arch rivals Arsenal, the side he scored 14 times against in 16 meetings while at his boyhood club Spurs.

With Arsenal vying for a first Premier League title in 20 years, the question remains: will Europe be of secondary importance to them; have they the resilience and depth to go for both, or will Bayern be that bit fresher now they do not have must-win games every three days as the Gunners (3-0 winners at Brighton on Saturday teatime) currently face?

We are about to find out.

History

Bayern have held a distinct upper hand in their meetings with the Gunners, with seven wins compared to three for the North Londoners and two draws.

These two giants of the game didn’t actually clash until the new millennium.

It was in the short-lived second group stage of the competition in December 2000 at Highbury when the sides played out a 2-2 draw.

Thierry Henry and Nwankwo Kanu put Arsenal in front before Bayern hit back quickly through Michael Tarnat and Mehmet Scholl.

The Bavarians would go on to win the competition that season and win the return game on home soil in March 2001, courtesy of a solitary Giovane Elber goal.

Bayern would prevail again four years later, when they met at the last-16 stage.

A double from Claudio Pizarro and one from Hasan Salihamidzic put them in the ascendancy, and while Kolo Toure netted a late consolation and Henry scored the only goal of the second leg, the Germans prevailed 3-2 on aggregate.

Bayern knocked out Arsenal at the same stage in successive years (2013, on goal difference; 2014, 3-1 on aggregate) before both sides enjoyed home wins against each other in the 2015/16 group stage.

Their most recent meetings in 2017—the last time Arsenal were in the Champions League until this season—were rather one-sided.

In fact, it was rather embarrassing for Arsene Wenger’s men, who were demolished 10-2 on aggregate in yet another last-16 clash.

Arjen Robben, Lewandowski, Thiago Alcantara (two), and Thomas Muller were on target in a 5-1 first-leg home win (Alexis Sanchez had briefly equalised for Arsenal).

It was exactly the same scoreline in the second leg.

Theo Walcott put Arsenal ahead, but Bayern simply responded with five goals in 30 second half minutes: Lewandowski (penalty), Robben, Douglas Costa, and Arturo Vidal (two), rubbing salt into the wounds.

Betting Tip

Well, looking at the SBOTOP Champions League 2024 betting odds, I don’t see a repeat of the routs from 2017.

I do, though, see Bayern prevailing again over two legs.

This competition is the only thing preventing their season from being a flop whereas, if you asked Arsenal what their priority would be, I’d still wager they would lean towards a first Premier League title for two decades.

That won’t be on their mind in the first leg, of course, when I expect goals, hence why I considered total goals 2-3 @ 1.94 and 4-6 @ 3.04 more than 0-1 @ 3.68.

 

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