THE LOWDOWN
Arsenal travel to Munich for the third time in three years in the Women’s Champions League group phase hoping for a better result than their last two visits. In March 2023, the Gunners were unfortunate to lose 1-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final (which they overturned with a 2-0 second leg win in North London).
Last season, the Gunners were soundly beaten 5-2 in Munich in the first game of the group stage. So far, Renee Slegers’ side have lost 2-1 at home to Lyon but won 2-0 against Benfica in Lisbon. This game, with next week’s home match against Real Madrid, feel critical for Arsenal’s chances of finishing in the top four (which grants you guaranteed progress to the quarter-finals) or at least the top eight (5-8 have a playoff to qualify for the quarter-finals).
It’s the midpoint of a critical week for the team after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea maintains the five point gap to the WSL leaders and makes winning the league title an uphill task. Last season Arsenal’s title challenge was extinguished before the clocks changed and that was probably a big factor in them winning the Champions League for the second time in May.
Arsenal travel to Brisbane Road for the North London derby on Sunday. Bayern away will be a tough game but the hosts have suffered with injuries this season, the game between the teams last season was very even until a disastrous final third of the game. The 1-0 defeat in Munich in March 2023 was largely down to poor finishing from the away side, it will be a tough game but Arsenal are certainly capable of winning.
TEAM NEWS
Kim Little is still out after picking up a knock in the recent win at Leicester City, while Katie Reid is out for the season after tearing her ACL. Manu Zinsberger is out with the same injury while Leah Williamson is not far away from a return after her own knee injury.
Available squad
Goalkeepers: 14.van Domselaar 28.Borbe 53.Liddiard
Defenders: 2.Fox 3.Wubben-Moy 5.L.Codina 7.Catley 11.McCabe 22.Nighswonger 24.Hinds 44.Harwood
Midfielders: 8.Mariona 12.L.Maanum 21.Pelova 32.Cooney-Cross 43.Peacock
Forwards: 9.Mead 15.Smith 18.Kelly 19.Foord 23.Russo 25.Blackstenius
A WORD FROM THE BOSS
It’s less than a year ago we played against them, and they still have some players that are similar with their qualities. They still pose the same threat from set-pieces, for example, and how they create. So they’re a really good team. They rotate and they try to create problems for the opposition. I have very high respect for Bayern because we know the last two games we played against them were very tight. So I look forward to the game. We look forward to the challenge. I think it’s two really good teams going against each other.
[Last year’s win] was a big part of our journey in the Champions League. But it was also a big part of our journey as a team. And for me, that game was crucial in how I see the team, where I see the potential –not only from a football perspective, of course, I always believed in this team, and all the quality that we have, but the resilience that we showed in that game, and how we found a way to win in very hard conditions. It was raining.It was windy. They posed a lot of threat to us with set-pieces and direct play at times and movements. And we dealt with it as a team. We get the win over the line somehow, because it wasn’t always beautiful. So that for me was a crucial moment in the journey in the Champions League. But more bigger, the journey of us as a team from a mentality perspective.
LAST TIME OUT
When the teams met in last season’s group stage, Bayern drew first blood at the Bayern Campus with a 5-2 victory but Arsenal sealed top spot in the group on match day six with a 3-2 victory over Bayern at Meadow Park.
THE OPPOSITION
Bayern are slightly chastened by the 7-1 beating they took from last year’s beaten finalists Barcelona on matchday one, however they rectified a little with a 2-1 win at home to Juventus on matchday two. In the Frauen Bundesliga, Bayern have taken 28 out of a possible 30 points so far this season and have won their last games 5-1, 4-1, 6-0 and 4-0.
Bayern are suffering a little with injuries with Lena Oberdorf tearing her ACL again recently. Pernille Harder pulled out of the pre-match press conference due to illness but coach Jose Barcala says she ought to be fit for the game. Boasting talent such as Georgia Stanway, Linda Dalmann, Klara Buhl and their captain Vigorsdottir was wanted by Jonas Eidevall prior to the signing of Laia Codina in the summer of 2023.
Bayern top the Frauen Bundesliga against their annual challengers Wolfsburg by six points and it isn’t difficult to see the big difference between the teams. Bayern have scored 35 league goals compared to Wolfsburg’s 34, but Bayern have conceded three compared to Wolfsburg’s 16.
Bayern have the lowest number of tackles in the middle and defensive thirds in the Frauen Bundesliga but have the highest number in the final third- they like to press and they like to build up through the thirds with right-back Giulia Gwinn often inverting into midfield to help them to dominate possession.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Caitlin Foord was probably Arsenal’s best performer against Chelsea on Saturday, her rumbustious dribbling style and intensity makes her a good fit for games against big opponents. She is not necessarily a player who needs a lot of space to thrive, she enjoys close contact and one v one battles and those happen more often against the bigger teams.
Last season in this fixture, Jonas Eidevall played Mariona on the right wing (before Slegers dropped her into the double pivot) because he wanted Foord on Giulia Gwinn’s side. Gwinn inverts into midfield alongside Stanway and Tanikawa, it means that Gwinn sometimes does vacate the space on the left.
With Kelly still nursing a knee injury and Smith only just back from a hip injury, it is likely that Mead and Foord will start on the flanks again. Arsenal will look to Foord for a repeat of her performance against Chelsea on Saturday, the Australian has that fight and intensity in her that can really lift the level of the team in tight games, as this one is likely to be.
MY PREDICTED LINE UP
Subs: 5.L.Codina 15.Smith 18.Kelly 21.Pelova 22.Nighswonger 24.Hinds 25.Blackstenius 28.Borbe 43.Peacock 44.Harwood 53.Liddiard
HOW TO CATCH THE GAME
The match takes place at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday with a 5.45pm kickoff UK time (6.45pm local time) and will be shown live on Disney + in most territories. A full list of where you can watch the game across the world is available here.
COMING UP
We will have Aidan Gibson’s on the whistle match report and we will be in Munich for the game and will have every word from Renee Slegers’ post-match press conference on the site around an hour after the final whistle, we will likely be able to speak to a player too. Don’t forget to sign up to our free weekly Arsenal Women Newsletter here.