Last Tuesday, Bayern Munich came away from the Emirates Stadium with a creditable 2-2 draw against a high-flying Arsenal team that was sitting atop the English Premier League standings.
Over the weekend, in domestic competition, the two teams experienced contrasting fortunes. On Sunday, Arsenal were sucker-punched twice late on against Aston Villa, losing 2-0. On the other hand, Bayern Munich claimed a 2-0 win against a dogged Köln side on Saturday. The victory for Bayern wasn’t an easy one and it came at a price as Kingsley Coman suffered an injury to his right adductor muscle. With Serge Gnabry still recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in the first leg and Leroy Sané troubled by a lingering groin injury, Bayern will be short of options in attack on Wednesday. Still, the fortunes of the two teams appear to be trending in opposite directions, so let us take a look at how Bayern can get the better of Arsenal at the Allianz Arena.
Build on what worked in first leg
Both Leon Goretzka and Konrad Laimer should be raring to go for the second leg. Laimer was fully rested for the match against Köln and Goretzka made just a brief appearance near the end.
In the first leg, the duo of Goretzka and Laimer did an excellent job in limiting the influence of the Arsenal midfielders whilst shielding Bayern’s back four. Goretzka was particularly effective in combining stout defending with well-timed forays into the opposition’s half. Laimer covered a lot ground throughout the encounter, and in tandem with Goretzka, the duo seldom allowed Arsenal to dictate proceedings in the middle of the park. On Wednesday, they will have to be just as consistent and up the tempo at the right moments to dictate play in Bayern’s favour. If the duo can win the midfield battle, Bayern should have enough in attack to book a place in the semifinals.