Arsenal and Bayern Munich are set for a reunion in the Champions League as we look back at one particular fixture from nine years ago at the Emirates.
The Emirates will play host to an all-important Champions League clash for Arsenal, with Bayern Munich being the next visitors at the venue. The history between these two clubs in this competition has been remarkably one-sided. Still, there have been instances in which the Gunners have outperformed the Bavarians, especially in north London.
Ask any Arsenal fans in the last few years about how they felt about the draw; they would have dreaded the prospect of facing Bayern Munich, for they remember the tormenting results, particularly during the teams’ last three games against one another.
Bayern Munich have suffered back-to-back defeats in the Bundesliga just three days away from their UCL quarterfinal tie vs. Arsenal 👀 pic.twitter.com/JFqMd4endq
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) April 6, 2024
In each of those three clashes, Bayern came out as 5-1 winners, with many fans seriously baffled at how that scoreline could be so identical. In any case, the Gunners fan base may not want to relive those painful defeats, especially in the current time, when their team has been performing so well on all fronts.
Will we see a repeat of those performances from Bayern this time out? Unlikely, as Arsenal are pencilled in as the favourites in the first leg and takes the game back to Munich for the second, decisive leg, which could seal a place in the semi-final for either side.
Arsenal are very different this season, as they are challenging for the Premier League and UEFA Champions League as a substantial entity rather than casting doubts about how long their travels will last. The Gunners are considered a favourite in the European and Premier League competitions.
They made inroads in the claim for the latter after finishing the latest matchday weekend on top of the Premier League charts after Liverpool drew at Old Trafford against Manchester United. Mikel Arteta’s men managed a professional and comfortable victory away at Brighton & Hove Albion with a 3-0 scoreline.
There are still a few challenging games for the Gunners. Still, given their performances this season, fans are excited rather than worried about the prospect of facing Chelsea, Tottenham, and Manchester United. Hence, Arsenal are considered one of the front-runners to lift the domestic title. But now, they must focus on this daunting task with Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich suffered another defeat in the Bundesliga, this time to mid-table opposition Heidenheim. The loss would prove pivotal for Thomas Tuchel’s men, considering they are now considered out of the title race despite having a fair bit of games yet to play.
Bayer Leverkusen’s win over the ten-men of Union Berlin allowed them to open a 16-point lead over the Bavarians with six games to play. Another win for Bayer Leverkusen would seal the Bundesliga title for them, which will be a morale-sapping prospect for Tuchel’s side. For now, the German manager will want the whole focus on their European commitments, considering this is the only remaining competition they can win this season.
Before we delve deep into this upcoming clash at the Emirates, there is one old match we would like to re-analyse and bring to the forefront. Before their trio of 5-1 wins over the Gunners, Bayern Munich did come to the Emirates and lost, as a defensive masterclass from Arsenal ensured they got the best of an otherwise formidable Bayern Munich side.
Laying The Setting
Arsenal and Bayern Munich are big sides in this European competition. But domestically, they have had contrasting fortunes, especially in the last few months. The Bavarians have consistently dropped points to hand Bayer Leverkusen the onus to win the Bundesliga title and exit all possible domestic competitions to date.
– 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund at home
– 3-2 defeat to Bundesliga newcomers HeidenheimAll is not well at Bayern Munich.
Next up: Arsenal 👀 pic.twitter.com/oUQ4v3qJu1
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) April 6, 2024
They could have also been more consistent in their European endeavours, with only a good performance in the 3-0 win over Lazio ensuring they passed through to the quarter-finals. Against the Biancocelesti, Bayern Munich suffered a first-leg loss. But their recovery in the second leg was purely due to their class.
Hence, with a defeat over the weekend and their morale not exceptionally high coming to London, Bayern Munich must perform well against Arsenal to preserve some parts of their season. The Gunners will see themselves as favourites to go through, considering how well they are coached in the attack and defending the ball.
Arsenal have the best attacking and defensive stats in the Premier League and is one of the best in Europe. The enormous task for Mikel Arteta would be to maintain the current momentum and get his team over the line on all fronts.
Arsenal are coming into this clash at the back of a brilliant win away from home against Brighton & Hove Albion and will want a similar performance against Bayern Munich. Moreover, Arteta’s side have the required personnel to choose from, considering how well they have managed their injuries in the second half of the season.
What happened on October 21, 2015?
Bayern Munich visited the Emirates as part of their third Champions League group-stage clash as clear favourites to take three points. What happened here in North London left them stunned, and they returned home empty-handed as goals from Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil did the trick.
On this day in 2015: Late goals from Olivier Giroud & Mesut Özil helped Arsenal to a vital 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in a memorable night at the Emirates Stadium. #afc pic.twitter.com/Xurtj9DqZT
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) October 20, 2021
It was a cagey encounter, with both teams getting enough changes to get ahead. However, it took a 77th-minute header from Olivier Giroud to open the scoring and set the tone for Arsenal to sit deep and defend.
The pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny put in a defensive masterclass for Arsene Wenger’s side then. Late in the game, a speedy Hector Bellerin latched on to a loose ball to drive it inside the box and square it up for Mesut Ozil.
The German playmaker’s strike bounced off the bar and went over the line, which the referee confirmed, to double Arsenal’s lead. Ozil was the leading light for the Gunners that season, and that result particularly galvanised their hopes for the remainder of the season.
Bayern may have felt the wrath of the Gunners at the Emirates, but soon returned to form and produced the first of the three 5-1 victories over Arsenal in the reverse fixture on the very next matchday.
The Aftermath
Both teams had indifferent seasons after that, and starting with Arsenal, their fans will remember that campaign for the painful outcome. During that campaign, Leicester City clinched the historic Premier League crown, where the Gunners were in the thick of the title race.
Leicester City win the 2015-16 English Premier League title to complete one of the greatest underdog stories pic.twitter.com/Pol3nY4fkw
— Football Historic Vids (@footyhistoric) April 4, 2024
They did save some grace by finishing second ahead of arch-rivals Tottenham and have never come that close to the domestic title barring last season. In the UEFA Champions League, Arsenal went on to meet Barcelona in the Round of 16 clash, with the Catalans only winning the treble in the previous campaign.
The encounter ended in a 5-1 aggregate scoreline favouring the Blaugrana, which brought the curtains down on Arsenal’s European campaign. Bayern Munich went on to have an exciting season and came very close to sealing a berth in the Champions League final.
On the domestic front, they successfully beat Borussia Dortmund by ten points to clinch the Bundesliga title. Pep Guardiola was their manager then, and he would have liked that European trophy with the team he had built.
Bayern suffered a painful defeat from losing finalists Atletico Madrid, who won on away goals to reach the final. Real Madrid then beat them on penalties to clinch the Champions League crown, something they will win for three consecutive seasons, including that one in 2015/16.
