Arsenal vs Bayern Munich: UEFA Champions League – team news, start, lineups

Who: Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
What: Matchday 5, League Phase, UEFA Champions League
Where: Emirates Stadium, North London, England, UK
When: Wednesday astatine 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT successful beforehand of our substance commentary stream.

English Premier League leaders Arsenal big the German Bundesliga’s top-ranked squad Bayern Munich successful a heavyweight UEFA Champions League (UCL) matchup of the 2 frontrunning European mega clubs connected Wednesday.

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The sides are besides ranked No 1 and No 2 successful the existent UCL standings, with some clubs protecting cleanable records successful the League Phase of the competition.

Here is each to cognize up of their apical of the array clash astatine Emirates Stadium:

Who person Arsenal and Bayern Munich beaten truthful acold successful the UCL League Phase?

After 4 matchdays successful the League Phase, Bayern Munich sits apical of the standings with 4 wins and a maximum 12 points against Chelsea (3-0), Pafos (5-1), Club Brugge (4-0) and astir recently, a triumph implicit reigning UCL champions Paris Saint-Germain (2-1) distant successful France connected November 4.

Arsenal is 2nd connected the table, adjacent with their German rival connected points (12) and extremity quality (+11). Their 4 wins person travel against Athletic Bilbao (2-0), Olympiacos (2-0), Atletico Madrid (4-0) and Slavia Praha (3-0).

The lone different squad remaining successful the contention with a cleanable 4-0 grounds is Inter Milan.

Will Odegaard play against Bayern Munich?

Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard is simply a beardown anticipation to play against Bayern Munich successful what would beryllium his archetypal lucifer since injuring his genu successful aboriginal October.

The Norwegian midfielder participated successful grooming connected Tuesday day and is expected to beryllium successful the squad.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed Odegaard is nether information for Wednesday’s fixture.

“He [Odegaard] was precise adjacent for the erstwhile game. We are hopeful that time [Wednesday] helium tin beryllium successful the squad arsenic well.”

Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard during grooming astatine the Arsenal Training Centre, London Colney, UK connected November 25, 2025 [Peter Cziborra/Action Images via Reuters]

Where did Arsenal and Bayern Munich decorativeness successful past season’s Champions League?

The Gunners reached the semifinals of the Champions League for the archetypal clip since 2008–09, upsetting Real Madrid successful the quarterfinals (5-1 connected aggregate) earlier losing to eventual champion Paris Saint-Germain.

Bayern Munich’s UCL run came to an extremity astatine the quarterfinal signifier with a intimately contested decision to Inter Milan (4-3 connected aggregate).

Form guide: past 5 matches

Arsenal: W-W-W-D-W (Premier League, astir caller effect last)

Bayern Munich: W-W-W-D-W (Bundesliga, astir caller effect last)

Head-to-head: Arsenal-Bayern Munich

The sides past played connected April 17, 2024, with Joshua Kimmich’s 63rd-minute header handing Bayern Munich a 1-0 quarterfinal triumph (3-2 connected aggregate) implicit Arsenal successful the Champions League, sending the Germans done to the last-four of the 2023-24 competition.

In total, the sides person played against each different 14 times, with Bayern dominating the humanities matchup:

• Bayern Munich – 8 wins
• Arsenal – 3 wins
• Draws – 3

Arsenal’s squad news

Arsenal volition enactment up against Bayern without a recognised striker, with Kai Havertz (knee) and Viktor Gyokeres (hamstring) inactive rehabbing injuries.

Gabriel Jesus volition besides beryllium held backmost from the Champions League fixture, though the Brazilian guardant is backmost successful afloat grooming aft undergoing genu surgery.

“He is rather close, to beryllium fair, and earlier than we expected,” Arteta said.

“In the adjacent fewer days, helium is going to person different measurement to marque with a crippled that we are going to organise for him. After that, helium is conscionable going to beryllium knocking connected the door.

Arsenal’s imaginable starting XI

Raya (goalkeeper); Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Merino, Trossard

Bayern Munich’s squad news

Kimmich, the subordinate who buried Arsenal the past clip they played backmost successful 2024, was a question people astatine the opening of the week aft sustaining a sound picked up during the FIFA planetary break, but is believed to beryllium acceptable to play connected Wednesday.

Explosive winger Luis Diaz is suspended for the Arsenal clash. The Colombian mightiness beryllium replaced by rising 17-year-old prima Lennart Karl, who became Bayern’s youngest-ever Champions League scorer erstwhile helium started against Brugge connected October 22.

Injured duo Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies volition beryllium unavailable for selection.

Bayern manager Vincent Kompany volition again pb the enactment with English planetary Harry Kane, who returns to his location metropolis of London for this fixture.

Bayern Munich’s imaginable starting XI:

Neuer (goalkeeper); Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Guerreiro; Pavlovic, Kimmich; Olise, Karl, Gnabry; Kane

Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, centre, and Nicolas Jackson, 2nd from right, during grooming astatine the Bayern Munich Training centre successful Munich, Germany, connected November 25, 2025 [Angelika Warmuth/Reuters]