The Allianz Arena is the next venue for Arsenal to attend, as Bayern Munich welcomes the English side to their back garden on Wednesday evening.
The last time that the Gunners won away at the German giant was in 2013, and a similar scoreline will be needed this time around if they’re to progress into the quarterfinal.
GK – Petr Cech
RB – Hector Bellerin
CB – Laurent Koscielny
CB – Per Mertesacker
LB – Nacho Monreal
CM – Francis Coquelin
CM – Santi Cazorla
CAM – Mesut Ozil
RW – Aaron Ramsey
LW – Alexis Sanchez
ST – Theo Walcott
The Champions League anthem had already rung around the Emirates this time last week, when the tie ended in an entertaining 2-2 draw.
Unfortunately, the preparation going into the game hasn’t been ideal, with Aston Villa defeating Mikel Arteta’s side 2-0 last weekend, and therefore, the boss may look to change a few individuals ahead of the season-defining clash.
Gabriel Jesus drops out of the side
Gabriel Jesus hasn’t featured quite as much as anticipated in the Premier League this season, with the Spaniard often opting for Kai Havertz up front.
Nevertheless, the Brazilian has made 22 league appearances, scoring four goals, but despite his best return coming in the Champions League, netting four goals and providing three assists in seven matches, he may not make the starting lineup for this evening.
The former Manchester City star did start at the weekend in the defeat, where he failed to get on the scoresheet for a seventh consecutive game.
With Bayern set to be an even tougher opposition than Villa, particularly when playing at home, it wouldn’t be a surprise for Jesus to drop out of the side completely, even being replaced by a midfielder.
Who will come into the team to play Bayern
Jorginho has been fantastic when featuring for Arsenal this season, playing 22 games in the English top flight and eight in the Champions League.
The Italian has often been drafted into the side ahead of important ties, notably the recent match against Manchester City and the second leg versus Porto.
However, on Wednesday night, the former Chelsea player will once again have an enormous task on his hands, and that is to stop Jamal Musiala from working his magic in the gaps between the midfield and backline.
Last week, the 32-year-old started against the Bundesliga side, and he impressed during his 67 minutes on the field, influencing the side from both an in-possession and an out-of-possession perspective.
Minutes
67
Touches
48
Pass accuracy
85%
Possession lost
7
Duels won
5/8
Tackles
3
Dribbled past
1
Interceptions
1
Tonight, it may not be Jorginho’s technical ability that makes him so important, but more so his experience of performing on the big occasion, which we’ve seen when Italy won the Euros and when Chelsea lifted the Champions League trophy.
With Bayer Leverkusen knocking Bayern off their perch in the league, the atmosphere could become overwhelming, which suits the level-headed and composed star.
Furthermore, the “ridiculous” midfielder, as labelled by football analyst Ben Mattinson, is extremely composed in possession, often making the right decision and hardly losing the ball, as shown by the earlier table.
However, during the first leg, he also showed his defensive capabilities, making three tackles, one interception, and only being dribbled past once, which is an achievement in itself against the tricky Musiala.
Overall, Arsenal must play as a unit, and Jorginho could just prove to be the glue that keeps the side together. Therefore, he simply has to start alongside Declan Rice.
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ByDan EmeryApr 16, 2024