The recent trips to London for Bayern Munich in the Champions League have seen Serge Gnabry score goals. The game against Arsenal on Tuesday was no different. Gnabry scored the crucial equaliser in the 18th minute to bring Bayern back into the game.
The German winger was one of the best players on Tuesday as Die Roten clinched a crucial 2-2 draw against Arsenal. He worked tirelessly defensively to help Alphonso Davies tackle Bukayo Saka and looked equally effective in the final third. Unfortunately, the evening for Gnabry ended with an injury. The 28-year-old was substituted in the 70th minute due to a hamstring problem.
Bayern confirmed on Wednesday that Gnabry suffered a hamstring strain during the game against Arsenal. The Bavarian club didn’t give a timeline for Gnabry’s return. As per Bild, the German forward will be out for three weeks due to this injury. He will miss the second leg against Arsenal at Allianz Arena.
The injury to Gnabry is a massive blow for Bayern and Thomas Tuchel. Since returning from a serious muscle injury before the last international break, the 28-year-old forward has been in good form. Gnabry scored four goals in six games. The hamstring injury came at the wrong time for the German forward, as he was getting back to his best.
Gnabry’s future at Bayern is far from certain. He needs a good end to the season to win a place back in the German squad for the Euros and also convince Bayern to stick with him for next season. The German forward will look to recover quickly and help Die Roten end the season strongly.
Tuchel will have to rethink his plans for the home leg against Arsenal after Gnabry’s injury. Kingsley Coman will most likely get the nod on the left flank. The French forward looked rusty against Arsenal, but he has done well under Tuchel. Mathys Tel, Thomas Muller, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, and Bryan Zaragoza are other options for Tuchel in the wide positions.
After a positive result in London, Bayern will look to build momentum for the second leg by delivering a good performance against FC Koln at Allianz Arena on Saturday. The Bundesliga title race will be over this weekend, but Bayern cannot go into the game against Arsenal on the back of another poor performance. Tuchel will likely make several changes to the starting XI to keep senior players fresh for the clash against Arsenal.