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Arsenalvs.Bayern

sportsmole.co.uk, 7 April 2024, 08:26
Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel is sweating over the fitness of no fewer than five players ahead of Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg with Arsenal at the Emirates.

An agonising 3-2 loss to Heidenheim at the weekend means that Bayer Leverkusen are only one win away from ending Bayern's reign of dominance in the Bundesliga, and Tuchel was without a total of 10 infirm men for that crushing defeat.

Noussair Mazraoui and Aleksandar Pavlovic were both laid low by illness, while Manuel Neuer (groin), Leroy Sane (groin) and Kingsley Coman (thigh) were also absent, and Tuchel immediately conceded that the quintet would be doubts for Tuesday night.

Gabriel Marusic (ACL), Tarek Buchmann (hamstring), Bouna Sarr (ACL), Sacha Boey (hip) and Noel Aseko (ankle) are all longer-term absentees for the Bavarians, therefore leaving Tuchel with few options for change from Saturday's affair.

As a result, Sven Ulreich could deputise for Neuer in between the posts, while Joshua Kimmich and Alphonso Davies - still a key player for Tuchel despite his contract saga - occupy the full-back positions.

Dayot Upamecano missed the second leg of his side's last-16 triumph over Lazio but is now primed to partner Kim Min-jae in the heart of defence, although Arsenal-linked Matthijs de Ligt and ex-Tottenham Hotspur man Eric Dier are alternative options.

Should Kimmich continue on the right, as he has done consistently in recent weeks, Konrad Laimer should join Leon Goretzka in midfield, while the effervescent Jamal Musiala operates just ahead of the duo.

Fresh from hitting an incredible 700 appearances for Bayern Munich, Thomas Muller should continue out wide if neither Sane nor Coman are passed fit, while ex-Arsenal man Serge Gnabry returns to the Emirates on the opposite flank.

Harry Kane's opener against Heidenheim was his 38th goal from just 37 games in a Bayern shirt, and the England captain can be sure to expect a hostile welcome at the Emirates, where he will bid to build on a record of 14 goals in 19 previous matches against the Gunners.

Bayern Munich possible starting lineup:

Ulreich; Kimmich, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Goretzka, Laimer; Muller, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane

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