Champions League: It’s Now or Never for Bayern and Arsenal

Bayern Munich vs Arsenal

By finishing 2-2 in their first leg, both teams will come into this match with no handicaps over their heads, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the contestants will come into their Champions League match with clear heads.

A lot has happened for Arsenal and Bayern Munich since their first quarterfinal leg, and the narratives of both clubs have drastically changed in terms of their title hopes in their domestic leagues.

But Arteta and Tuchel have no choice but to keep their heads up, pump their chests out, and lead their beloved outfits at Allianz Stadium for the return leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie.

Talking Points

All eyes on Kane

It’s hard to fathom—maybe even humorous for some—that one of the world’s most prolific strikers, Harry Kane, has yet to lift a significant piece of hardware throughout his illustrious career.

He was the man for Tottenham and even the Three Lions before he made the move to the Bundesliga, where most, this SBOTOP writer included, thought he could finally add a piece of silverware to his trophy cabinet.

But none, surely Kane included, saw what Bayer Leverkusen was capable of and what they’ve done in the German top flight this season. With the Meisterschale out of reach for Kane and Bayern this season, their search for glory all comes down to the Champions League. Not an easy task for the Bavarians, or for any team for that matter, but not impossible.

Like in the Bundesliga, Harry Kane leads the goal-scoring department with seven goals while claiming three assists to boot. He was pivotal in the first leg of their quarterfinal match against Arsenal, where he delivered a stunning goal from the penalty mark to level the aggregate and give Bayern a clean slate coming into their return leg.

Kane, Bayern Munich, and the fans in attendance at Allianz Arena are hoping that their ace, the tip of their spear, and the hilt of their sword will deliver and keep their trophy aspirations for this season alive.

The Bavarians are desperate to avenge their failed season in the Bundesliga, and a win against Arteta’s men would definitely be a huge step in the right direction.

Martin Odegaard suffers injury during Villa clash

As the Premier League title race continues to be the talk of the town, Arsenal fought a valiant and inspired match during their crushing 0-2 defeat against Aston Villa yesterday.

Having to juggle two major tournaments and stay competitive in both is a tall task for any club, especially for Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool. Liverpool have one foot out the door after their 0-3 defeat against Atalanta in the Europa League, while Manchester City join Arsenal with clean slates coming into the second leg of their quarterfinal ties.

However, Arsenal might be in a bigger hole than expected, as their skipper, Martin Odegaard, suffered an injury during their humbling defeat against Aston Villa, just three days before their highly-anticipated quarterfinal bout with Bayern Munich.

Arteta was forced to take his captain off the field late in the match without explanation, but it was later revealed that the move was because Odegaard was already feeling something wrong with his body.

After the clash against Villa, Arteta stated that his captain “felt something” and that “he was not able to continue.”  As of the time of writing, there is still no concrete Champions League 2024 news if Odegaard is good to go for their monumental tie with Bayern Munich, so Gunners fans can only hope and pray that their skipper recovers in time.

Amidst the series of unfortunate events for Arsenal, Arteta remains stern and seeks accountability from his players. “We struggled, we conceded two very poor goals, and we lost the game so congratulations to the opponent and now is the moment to stand up as a leader, as a character to make yourself count because when you win and win and win and win for four months, it’s very simple to do it. The moment is now.”

History

During the first leg of their colossal clash, Bayern and Arsenal mustered up a four-goal thriller, ending the first leg of their quarterfinal bouts with a 2-2 aggregate. It was the usual suspects for both squads, as Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard scored one goal apiece for Arsenal, while Serge Gnarby and Harry Kane delivered one goal each to level.

Betting Tip

The Champions League 2024 betting odds suggest a highly competitive bout between both the Bavarians and the Gunners, as neither team is priced as an overwhelming favourite.

Bayern, maybe because of home advantage, are the slight favourites at 2.33, while the visiting Arsenal are right there at 2.70 with a draw price of 3.31.

At this point, it’s really a toss of the coin as to which outfit will progress to the semifinals, so opting to go with their 1X2 lines could come down to bias.

Their first leg tallied four total goals, which just shows that both teams have potent final thirds, and I expect more of the same during their upcoming tie, especially because the stakes are too high for them to suddenly become shy around the goal. Which is why my betting tip is total goals over 3.00 at 2.06.

 

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