Excitement for Bayern’s heavyweight Champions League showdown against Arsenal

FC Bayern, who top of the Champions League’s league phase at the halfway stage, are away to second-placed Arsenal on Wednesday evening (kick-off at 21:00 CET, live coverage on fcbayern.com and in the FC Bayern app with our text commentary and free web radio). Both teams have a perfect record of four wins from four games and are in tremendous form. Fans can look forward to a real cracker of a match. Here’s all you need to know in our preview.

Recap all the build-up to the game here:

Latest news from Bayern

Bayern go into the big game in North London with confidence. The Bavarians has won 17 out of 18 competitive matches so far this season. Last weekend, Vincent Kompany's team proved that they can also overcome difficult situations, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 6-2 victory at home to Freiburg. Now, after the previous top-of-the-table clash away at reigning champions Paris St. Germain, the next big test awaits with the match at Arsenal. “The excitement for the game is huge. It's definitely something special, a very attractive game. We're going into the game full of confidence and want to take three points home with us,” said Bayern centre-back Jonathan Tah. Striker Harry Kane sees it similarly: “It will be a very difficult game for us. There's a reason why Arsenal are at the top in the Champions League and the Premier League.” He added: “Two of the best teams in the world are facing each other. We're looking forward to this match.”

Bayern lead the Champions League table with 12 points and a goal difference of +11, closely followed by Arsenal, who rank behind only because of fewer goals scored. They also haven’t conceded a single goal in four European games this term. “For Tottenham, it was always one of the biggest games of the season against Arsenal,” said Kane, who knows the Gunners well. “I've scored a lot of goals here but not won many games. I hope we can change that tomorrow.” With a win in London, Munich want to take a big step towards direct qualification for the round of 16, which the eight top-ranked teams will reach after the eight matchdays of the league phase. “We’ve won our first four games, which was important,” said head coach Kompany. “But playing against this team will be the most difficult task at the moment. We're happy about that. That's why we're here. We want it.”

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Opponent: Arsenal

Arsenal are riding a wave of success this season. The Gunners lead the domestic Premier League with 29 points from 12 games and have a comfortable six-point advantage over Chelsea. Last weekend, Mikel Arteta's team put in a convincing performance in the North London derby against Tottenham. Thanks in part to a hat-trick from Eberechi Eze, Arsenal defeated their local rivals 4-1. However, the Gunners' absolute showpiece is their defence. Centre-back William Saliba and his teammates have conceded only six goals in 12 Premier League games. Arsenal's back line has been even stronger in the Champions League so far. The Londoners have not conceded a single goal in this year's Champions League, defeating Athletic Bilbao, Olympiacos (both 2-0), Atlético Madrid (4-0) and most recently Slavia Prague (3-0) with great confidence.

“Arsenal are not top of the Premier League table and unbeaten in the Champions League for no reason. It's definitely going to be a tough game,” warned Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen. “It's true that there's a lot to consider when you play Arsenal and prepare for this big opponent,” said Kompany at the press conference on Tuesday evening in London. “ut they have to do the same. They have to prepare for our strengths.” Therefore, it's all about the form on the day, about whether Bayern can reach their absolute top level, as they did in Paris. “If we can do that, we'll be in a position to show good things. And I see what makes Arsenal special, but I also don't want to forget what makes us special. And it's important that we show that tomorrow,” Kompany added.

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Team news

In addition to Alphonso Davies (match fitness after ACL) and Jamal Musiala (ankle dislocation and fibula fracture), Bayern will also be without Luis Díaz at Arsenal after his red card against PSG. “Serge Gnabry is looking good. The only question is whether he can start and play 90 minutes. We'll see,” said Kompany. There have also been “good signs” from Joshua Kimmich. “We have all players available.”

Arsenal will be without defender Gabriel (thigh injury), Kai Havertz, Martin Ödegaard (both knee problems) and Viktor Gyökeres (muscular problems) – or at least they will not be available for the full 90 minutes.

Read up on the pre-match facts:

What the coaches say