The two best teams in Europe at the moment, according to the Champions League table after four matchdays, Arsenal and Bayern Munich, face off in a highly anticipated clash at the Emirates on Wednesday evening.
Both Mikel Arteta and Vincent Kompany have guided their sides to 12 points from 12 so far, but by the final whistle, at least one perfect record will be gone.
When Arsenal fans looked at Tottenham’s lineup on Sunday, it was understandable to expect a tough afternoon, with Spurs fielding eight defensively minded players. Yet Eberechi Eze, who chose the Gunners over Spurs, stole the show, scoring the first-ever Premier League North London derby hat-trick in a 4-1 victory. Leandro Trossard had opened the scoring with a deflected effort, and even Richarlison’s audacious long-range strike could not spark a comeback. The win extended Arsenal’s lead at the Premier League summit to six points and furthered their domestic and continental ambitions.
In the Champions League, Arsenal have been flawless this season, winning all four matches, scoring 11 goals, and conceding none. Only Bayern’s superior goals tally keeps Arsenal off top spot in the 36-team league phase table, although results on Tuesday could shuffle both sides’ positions before their blockbuster showdown. Arsenal now seek a 16th consecutive Champions League home win, but they face their sternest test yet.
Bayern may not match Arsenal’s defensive solidity this season, but under Kompany, they have been in exceptional attacking form. On matchday four, Luis Diaz’s brace secured a 2-1 win at Paris Saint-Germain, though his red card on the stroke of halftime rules him out of Wednesday’s clash. On Saturday, Bayern produced a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down to defeat Freiburg 6-2, with Michael Olise directly involved in five of the goals.
Bayern remain undefeated across all competitions this season, with only a 2-2 draw against Union Berlin interrupting their run. However, their seven clean sheets from 18 matches highlight some defensive vulnerability. Historically, the German champions were formidable opponents for Arsenal during the Arsene Wenger era. They head to the Emirates on a five-game unbeaten run against the Gunners, winning four, though Arsenal narrowly lost 3-2 on aggregate in the 2023-24 Champions League quarter-finals.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Arsenal’s bench received a boost on Sunday with the returns of Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli, though Viktor Gyokeres (hamstring) and Martin Odegaard (knee) were left out, with only Odegaard a possible contender for this game. Gabriel Magalhaes (hamstring) and Gabriel Jesus (ACL) are confirmed absentees, while Kai Havertz has suffered a setback in his knee surgery recovery and will remain on the sidelines.
Bayer Leverkusen loanee Piero Hincapie impressed in Gabriel’s place during the North London derby, and he is expected to feature again as part of what will likely be an unchanged Arsenal starting eleven, even with a crucial Premier League clash against Chelsea coming up.
Bayern Munich will be forced to make at least one change due to Luis Diaz’s red card against PSG, which carries a three-match Champions League suspension, ruling him out of Europe for the remainder of 2025. His absence would be more significant if former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry were also sidelined, but Bayern are confident that the Germany international will be fit after a knee issue kept him out of the eight-goal thriller with Freiburg.
Jamal Musiala (ankle) and Alphonso Davies (knee) are definite misses for Bayern, opening the door for 17-year-old sensation Lennart Karl, who became Bayern’s youngest-ever Champions League scorer earlier this season and added a goal and assist over the weekend.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Merino, Trossard
Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Guerreiro; Pavlovic, Kimmich; Olise, Karl, Gnabry; Kane
EXPERT PREDICTION
Arsenal 2-2 Bayern Munich
