Arsenal fire clear eight-word warning to Bayern Munich ahead of Champions League clash

Arsenal could see eight months of tireless work end in just four days with a Champions League clash against Bayern Munich on the horizon. Last Tuesday, the Gunners played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in the first leg of their quarter-final clash against the German champions.

Leandro Trossard was rewarded by Mikel Arteta for scoring off the bench with his a start in the Premier League clash against Aston Villa. That change saw Kai Havertz drop into midfield, despite his consistent success further forward, with Jorginho on the bench and Gabriel Jesus shifted inside and that may have been what cost Arsenal.

Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey both scored in the final minutes of the tense clash to hand Arsenal their first loss of the year. As a result of that clash, Arteta’s side remained second on 71 points with reigning champions Manchester City staying top following their 5-1 victory over Luton Town after Liverpool also suffered a shock home defeat.

Thankfully for the Gunners, there is no time to dwell on their defeat with the second leg of their European clash against Bayern arriving on Wednesday evening. Thomas Tuchel’s side returned to winning ways against FC Koln over the weekend but he was handed yet another injury blow.

Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane and Manuel Neuer all missed the league clash with Kingsley Coman forced off with an issue that has ruled him out of the clash. “First Serge Gnabry is out,” he said ahead of Saturday’s game. “Then him [Coman] and then with Leroy it’s up in the air. That’s bitter.”

After the game, when discussing the injuries further, he added: “We hope Leroy Sane will be available on Wednesday. We didn’t want to take any risks today. Manuel Neuer could have played today but we didn’t want to take risks with him either.” Arsenal will also be sweating on some fitness concerns with Bukayo Saka seen limping at the end of the Villa clash and Martin Odegaard subbed off because of a muscular issue.