Mikel Arteta will name an unchanged starting lineup when Arsenal and Bayern Munich clash in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Arsenal will be eager to continue a flawless start to the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League campaign when they welcome Bayern Munich to the Emirates on Wednesday night. Mikel Arteta has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli returned to the matchday squad this past weekend against Tottenham Hotspur, and Martin Odegaard is on the verge of returning, with Arteta hoping to have the club captain back in the midweek Champions League clash.
However, Gabriel Magalhaes, Kai Havertz, and Viktor Gyokeres remain in the treatment room, and the trio remains unavailable for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arteta provided fitness updates on Havertz, Gyokeres, and Odegaard.
The Arsenal manager said, “Really good, both of them. In the next few days, they’re going to have a repeat scan to see how everything is and where we can push them for the weekend. They [Martinelli and Madueke] are [available], and we’re going to have a meeting now, to decide on Martin [Odegaard].”
“He was very close for the previous game, so we are hopeful that tomorrow he can be in the squad as well. Well, we have to look at the individuals and make sure that they are ready, if it’s to start a game like this, and the second one, for how long they can play. We need to be very mindful as well of how many of those players we put on the pitch because most of them are not going to be able to finish 90 minutes.”
David Raya is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Arsenal lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. The backline will feature Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Piero Hincapie, and Riccardo Calafiori.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice in the double pivot. Eberechi Eze will reprise the no. 10 role, with Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka being the two wide attackers. Finally, Mikel Merino will continue to lead the line for the Gunners until Gyokeres or Havertz returns.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Eze, Trossard; Merino
