Arsenal - Bayern Munich
Image credit: Getty Images
Bayern Munich Women are on course to smash their own attendance record when they welcome defending UEFA Women’s Champions League holders Arsenal to the Allianz Arena on November 12.
With more than 10,000 tickets already snapped up two weeks before kickoff, the Bavarian side have already surpassed their previous seasonal high for a women’s match at the 75,000-capacity stadium, evidence of the rapidly growing enthusiasm for women’s football in Germany.
Club officials expect attendance to surpass 15,000, which would make it the largest crowd ever recorded for a women’s European fixture in the country.
The buzz around this heavyweight encounter builds on the momentum of Bayern’s season opener in September, when over 50,000 fans filled the Allianz Arena to witness their emphatic Bundesliga victory over Wolfsburg.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta left sweating on fitness of two Arsenal stars after Burnley win
Matchday 3 of the revamped Champions League league phase will see Bayern and Arsenal square off following contrasting starts to their European campaigns. The German champions endured a bruising 7-1 defeat to Barcelona on October 7 but bounced back impressively with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Juventus, courtesy of goals from Lea Schuller and Giovanna Crnogorcevic.
Arsenal Women
Arsenal Women (Image credit: Getty Images)
Domestically, Bayern have been near flawless, sitting top of the Frauen-Bundesliga table with maximum points from seven matches. They have scored 28 goals while conceding only twice, a testament to their balance in attack and defence.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE NOW ARSENAL WHATSAPP GROUP CHAT NOW!
Arsenal, meanwhile, have had a mixed start to their title defense. The Gunners suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Lyon in their opening match, undone by defensive lapses, before responding with a 2-0 victory at Benfica on October 16, Beth Mead and Alessia Russo providing the goals.
In the Women’s Super League, Renee Slegers’ side sit sixth after six games, having produced a string of inconsistent results that include a commanding 5-1 win over West Ham, a narrow 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace, and a 3-2 loss to Manchester City.
The Allianz Arena showdown marks Bayern’s second UWCL fixture at the iconic venue this season and further underscores the competition’s surging popularity.
NEXT ARTICLE: Arsenal legend sacked after dismal start to the new season