Bayern Munich and Arsenal have become quite used to facing off in the Champions League. Since the turn of the millennium they've gone up against each other 10 times in Europe's top club competition, with the Bavarians usually coming off best. However, whereas the Gunners are flying high in the Premier League this season, Bayern are still finding their feet under Carlo Ancelotti. It's a difficult tie to predict.
Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal, UEFA Champions League draw: Old enemies to meet again
Neither Bayern Munich nor Arsenal will be particularly looking forward to their Champions League first knockout round encounter.
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Bayern Munich
Four years of Pep Guardiola can be exhausting. When he announced he was departing for Manchester City, Bayern Munich's brass moved quickly to hire Carlo Ancelotti, well known as a players' coach. Bayern needed someone who had tactical expertise, but who would ensure that morale and confidence didn't drop. It's a bad idea to follow Pep with a low-rent Pep, and Bayern's board probably hired the right man.
Ancelotti hasn't had an easy job, though. Bayern have turned in some disappointing results, and don't look like they'll be walking to a Bundesliga title or the Champions League semifinals uncontested. Young players like Joshua Kimmich and Renato Sanches are constantly improving, but the team's older stars have started to fade. Thomas Müller is in a minor rut. The rest of this season will determine if Bayern can milk another season from this squad or if it's time for a significant rebuild.
How they got here: Bayern lost away to Atlético Madrid early in the group stage, which was disappointing, but hardly anything to be concerned about. Atléti has consistently been one of the world’s best teams during the last five years, after all. Their big problem was that they also lost to Rostov, ending their hopes of finishing top of their group.
Key player: The reasons for Bayern’s struggles this season are multi-faceted, and it would be unfair to call Thomas Müller’s play poor. But if there’s one very obvious thing that’s changed in Munich, it’s that Müller was one of the world’s top players over the past four seasons, but has just been OK during this campaign. If Bayern is going to contend for a European title, they’ll need him to up his game.
Arsenal
Arsenal have made a very solid start to the season, with Arsène Wenger’s side having lost only one competitive game since the Premier League’s opening matchday. The Gunners certainly aren’t a flawless side, but the attacking firepower offered by Mesut Özil and Alexis Sánchez has combined with a pleasingly tenacious midfield to give supporters some faint hope that this could finally be the year they achieve something memorable.
However, the ultimate problem is that Arsenal are Arsenal; that is to say that every year we think it really could be their year, only for a string of unfortunate, dream-crushing injuries to hit over the festive period. For all of the promise that the Gunners are currently showing, they still need to prove that they're not just a paper tiger. The addition of Shkodran Mustafi and the emergence of Héctor Bellerín as one of Europe's top fullbacks has added credence to their claim, but there are still question marks over whether the likes of Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Francis Coquelin are good enough at the very top level.
How they got here: Arsenal headed into the final group stage matchday unbeaten, but tiebreakers kept them below Paris Saint-Germain. However, the French side’s unlikely slip at home to Ludogorets combined with the Gunners’ 4-1 win away at Basel to ensure Arsène Wenger’s men progressed as table toppers.
Key player: Mesut Özil. Or Alexis Sánchez. Özil. No, Sánchez. One creates, the other scores. We’ll take both.
Prediction
Though Bayern haven’t been at their sparkling best this season, and Arsenal are looking as good as they have for a while, we still think the Bavarians will edge it. They still look like they’ve got a more well-rounded squad, and history is on their side. Bayern to progress.
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