5 reasons Bayern will beat Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League
The irrepressible Harry Kane, Champions League pedigree, and home advantage are just some of the factors that give Bayern Munich the upper hand in their decisive quarter-final second leg with Arsenal. bundesliga.com explains why the Bavarians will make the final four...
1) Kane has Arsenal's number
All eyes will inevitably be on Harry Kane once again as he faces the North London rivals of his former club, Tottenham. The England captain is enjoying another sensational goal-filled season, with 32 in the Bundesliga and seven in the Champions League - topping the charts in both competitions.
He was on target in the 2-2 first-leg draw in London, coolly converting from the penalty spot after Leroy Sané was fouled, taking his tally to 15 goals in 20 games against the Gunners. It also means Kane has now scored at least once against Arsenal in each of the last 10 seasons.
Watch: Analysing goal machine Harry Kane
Clearly, then, the 30-year-old knows how to get the better of the English side's defence. And given the high-stakes nature of this game, he will be more motivated than ever to continue his streak. And should he - unexpectedly - not get on the scoresheet, the supporting cast of Jamal Musiala & Co. are more than capable of doing plenty of damage themselves.
2) Seasoned side
Another factor that tends to show at this stage of the competition is the value of experience. Having reached at least the quarter-final stage in each of the past four seasons, the advantage in this area is very clearly on Bayern's side against Arsenal - who have not gone this far in the Champions League since 2010.
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While Kane needs just two more goals to pull level with Wayne Rooney as the Champions League's highest-scoring Englishman (with 30 goals), there is little chance of him catching Thomas Müller anytime soon with the German boasting 54 strikes in the competition - a tally surpassed only by six players in history.
Moreover, Manuel Neuer alone had more appearances in the Champions League knockout rounds (61) than Arsenal's entire starting XI from the first leg (49), while Müller, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Sané, Serge Gnabry and the injured Kingsley Coman each boast well in excess of 40 appearances on the Champions League stage. Experience is vital when the going gets tough, so Arsenal could well have their work cut out in mastering unfamiliar territory against such seasoned pros.
Watch: Joshua Kimmich - pass master
3) Eyes on the prize
Bayern's hopes of claiming a 12th successive Bundesliga title are now over, meaning the UEFA Champions League is their only remaining realistic route to silverware this season.
Bayern and Thomas Tuchel have been there and done it before - with seven players who started the Munich side's 2020 UEFA Champions League final win still at the club, while Tuchel got his hands on the illustrious trophy the following year with Chelsea. Only Kai Havertz and Jorginho - both triumphant with Tuchel while at Chelsea - have the first-hand know-how of what it takes to win the competition at Arsenal.
With Arsenal locked in a tense, three-way English Premier League title battle with Manchester City and Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool, Mikel Arteta can afford no such luxury of focusing his side's efforts solely on the huge quarter-final clash.
4) History on their side
As mentioned above, when push comes to shove, often experience is telling. And Bayern hold the upper hand in this fixture overall, having won seven of the 13 meetings with Arsenal over the years, losing just three. Furthermore, they have scored 29 goals across that period, conceding only 15.
Arsenal's last two trips to the Allianz Arena both ended in chastening 5-1 defeats. And while few would venture to forecast such a thumping win for Bayern against an Arsenal side enjoying a magnificent season, the weight of history can give Thomas Tuchel's charges added confidence - and when Bayern are at their best, there are barely any sides capable of stopping the free-scoring machine.
5) Home advantage
Bayern's 75,000 capacity Allianz Arena is an intimidating place to visit, especially on all-or-nothing European nights. It is undoubtedly one of the reasons Bayern extended their astonishing unbeaten home record in the Champions League group stage to 31 games earlier this season, of which they have won 29 and drawn two.
They are also unbeaten in their last five Champions League knockout fixtures on home turf, the most recent of which was a 3-0 success over Lazio. Last term they beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 and drew 1-1 with Manchester City, while in 2021/22 they posted a 7-1 victory over Salzburg in the round of 16 and drew 1-1 with Villarreal in the quarter-finals. As if that were not enough, Bayern's home record against Arsenal in the competition reads: P6, W4, D1, L1.
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