Champions League
Bayern as an Arsenal fright: Eberl can’t think of much at the moment
Munich’s sports director Max Eberl is at a loss. photo
© Tom Weller/dpa
Arsenal FC is tied to FC Bayern. Problem: This knowledge comes from the past. There is hardly anything encouraging before the reunion in the Champions League quarter-finals.
FC Bayern Munich is actually a fearful opponent for Arsenal FC. The Munich team won the last three Champions League duels with the top English football club 5-1. But that was a few years ago – and the current one Bayern’s team under annoyed and hapless coach Thomas Tuchel will no longer instill fear in any opponent in the spring of 2024 – right?
“Tighten up” for the premier class
When asked what encouraged him with a view to the quarter-final first leg on Tuesday (9 p.m./Amazon Prime Video), even Bayern Munich’s sports director Max Eberl had to reflect on the fresh impressions of the frightening 2:3 in the Bundesliga dress rehearsal at 1. FC Heidenheim fit. “At the moment I can’t think of much,” he said on Saturday.
Eberl doesn’t really believe in a performance boost at the push of a button in the fight for the very last title chance of the season. “To hope that this is now Arsenal, this is now the Champions League and that we are tightening up, it simply won’t work,” said the sports director before the business trip to London this Monday afternoon.
Hoping for Neuer and Sané to return
The only thing that served as a bit of encouragement at the weekend was that Manuel Neuer, Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman, who were injured in Heidenheim, could be back at the Emirates Stadium. Winger Sané was announced by FC Bayern on Sunday evening for the press conference on Monday evening at the Emirates Stadium, which is a clear indication that he will be traveling with them and can probably start.
Above all, captain Neuer’s return to goal after a torn muscle fiber could help to achieve a decent result for the decisive second leg on April 17th in Munich. “Okay, you can say that some of the injured people are coming back,” Eberl then said while encouraging them.
“We will give it our all again,” promised premier class veteran Thomas Müller to the Bayern fans. However, Harry Kane and Co. will have to forego the support of their own supporters in London due to UEFA’s exclusion of Bayern fans. “In many moments we don’t have the punch to get results at the moment. Nevertheless, we still have the Champions League,” was Müller’s perseverance slogan.
End in the quarterfinals again?
The quarter-finals have recently become the European final destination three times in a row for FC Bayern. A year before the Champions League final in our own stadium, the round of the last eight should not end again. The advance to the semi-finals would be rewarded by UEFA with a bonus of 12.5 million euros.
The possible semi-final opponents are already known, it would be defending champions Manchester City or Champions League record winners Real Madrid. And then we went back to London for the final. But Wembley on June 1st seems just out of reach for outgoing coach Tuchel’s spring Bayern.