'Put on a good show for the fans' - UWCL cracker against Arsenal

A big stage for a big match! On Tuesday evening, 21 March, FC Bayern Women host Arsenal WFC at the Allianz Arena for a UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg. Kick-off in Munich is at 18:45 CET. As with the group stage, DAZN is streaming the match live and for free. You can also follow the game live with FCB Web Radio.

The state of play

FCB Women return to the Allianz Arena after nearly four months with plenty of confidence. Their last appearance on Munich’s biggest football stage ended with a glorious success against FC Barcelona, when the Munich girls beat the Spanish giants 3-1 in front of a record crowd on Matchday 4 of the group stage. Head coach Alexander Straus’ side have been in dazzling form since then, winning every match in every competition. In the Bundesliga, FCB have cut the gap to leaders VfL Wolfsburg to just two points thanks to a run of 10 consecutive wins, including a 5-0 thrashing of 1. FC Köln on Saturday.

The Reds also booked their place in the DFB Cup semi-finals at the end of February with a 2-0 victory at Hoffenheim. Overall FCB are unbeaten since October and therefore go into Tuesday’s meeting against the Gunners on a winning roll.

The opponents

The Londoners also travel to the Bavarian state capital on a high after lifting the FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup at the weekend. Despite falling behind early on, they fought back to beat league champions and leaders Chelsea 3-1 in the final. In the Barclays Women's Super League, however, the Gunners are languishing in fourth place, below expectations. Jonas Eidevall’s team suffered what could be a bitter blow before the start of the UWCL knockout stages with cruciate ligament injuries to key duo Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema. Along with goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger, Miedema is one of two former Bayern players in the Arsenal squad.

The statistics

The two teams have met just once before. In the final of the 2019 Emirates Cup, Bayern came out on top with a 1-0 win at the Emirates Stadium.

The team news

Straus will again be without the services of long-term absentees Giulia Gwinn (cruciate ligament) and Linda Dallmann (ankle). Tainara will also miss out again with an ankle injury. Carolin Simon returns to the squad against Arsenal, though, having missed the last few league games due to muscular problems.

Pre-match quotes

Head coach Alexander Straus: "Arsenal are a very similar team to us. They have a lot of individual quality. They're dynamic and work very well defensively. We'll get our openings and opportunities tomorrow. They're a top-quality team who we respect, but they also have respect for us."

Captain Lina Magull: "Arsenal are one of the top teams in Europe, as they've proven again over the course of this season. I think they'll come to Munich with a lot of confidence. They have a lot of strong individual players and work fantastically as a team. I wouldn't say they're better than us, though - I think it'll be an even contest."

Continued: "I think it will give us a big push if so many fans are at the Allianz Arena. The fans can certainly be the key to success in a game like this and carry us on the pitch. We want to put on a good show for the fans!"

All the info you need on the UWCL first leg at the Allianz Arena: