Arsenal’s Women’s Champions League group stage campaign kicks off on Wednesday evening against Frauen-Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in Germany.
Finishing third in the Women’s Super League last season forced Arsenal to endure a rather arduous qualification process to get into the hat for the group stage draw. The Gunners beat Rangers and Rosenborg in the first round of qualifying before eliminating Hacken, winning the second leg 4-0 to overturn a first-leg deficit.
Jonas Eidevall’s side, however, have been drawn in a tough Group C alongside Bayern, Juventus and Valerenga. They also head into Wednesday’s opener having picked up just one point against Everton in the fixture WSL on sunday
Bayern, meanwhile, have five wins from five games in the Frauen-Bundesliga as they aim to win their third league title on the bounce. They are now the dominant force in the country after a period of Wolfsburg supremacy.
Their title triumph last season meant they were one of four teams to qualify for the WUCL the group stages automatically.
here it is 90 minutes preview of the Munich meeting.
Head-to-head results Bayern Munich – Arsenal (all matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Bayern Munich |
arsenal |
|---|---|
|
Bayern Munich 1-0 FC Koln – 05/10/24 |
Arsenal 0-0 Everton – 06/10/24 |
|
Werder Bremen – Bayern Munich 0-4 – 29/09/24 |
Leicester – Arsenal 0-1 – 29/09/24 |
|
Bayern Munich – Hoffenheim 5-1 – 23/09/24 |
Arsenal 4-0 Aixades – 26/09/24 |
|
Bayern Munich 6-2 RB Leipzig – 13/09/24 |
Arsenal 2-2 Man City – 22/09/24 |
|
Clay 0-6 Bayern Munich – 09/24/08 |
Axades 1-0 Arsenal – 18/09/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
DAZN UK |
|
united states |
DAZN USA |
|
canada |
DAZN Canada |
The hosts have a number of injury concerns heading into Wednesday’s game, although their possible absences have been out of the question for some time.
Star midfielder Lena Oberdorf picked up a long-term knee injury in the summer and will miss much of the 2024/25 campaign. Austrian defender Katharina Naschenweng is recovering from a similar injury she suffered in June.
Franziska Kettis is unlikely to return from an ankle injury for Arsenal’s visit, but centre-back Glodis Viggosdottir should return to the starting XI after serving a one-match national ban week
Bayern Munich’s expected line-up against Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Grohs; Gwinn, Viggosdottir, Sembrant, Simon; Kerr, Stanway; Dallmann, Harder, Buhl; Schuler.
Arsenal captain Leah Williamson has endured her fair share of injury problems over the past 18 months, but the defense bounced back from its latest setback during Sunday’s frustrating stalemate against Everton. Williamson is expected to start Wednesday evening.
Victoria Pelova, Laura Wienroither, Amanda Ilestedt and Lina Hurtig remain out of the away team, but Arsenal’s large squad means Eidevall still has room to rotate from Sunday’s XI.
Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord are experienced options off the bench, while Lia Walti and Stina Blackstenius could step into the starting lineup.
Predicted Arsenal line-up against Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1): Van Domselaar; Fox, Williamson, Codina, McCabe; Walt, Ray-Cross; Mead, Water, Heat; Blackstenius.
There is no doubt that this is a difficult task arsenalwho have been shy of goals in recent outings. Something is not right with Eidevall’s team, who face a Bayern side full of confidence.
Bayern are seven from seven in all competitions this season, with their notable injury problems still hampering them. Eidevall and Arsenal may arrive in Munich with the sole intention of frustrating their hosts, trying to claim a mere point, but Bayern’s pressure will tell.
