Bayern Munich will host Arsenal at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday (21 October) in the third round of UEFA Champions League matches. It is the 16th meeting between the two sides in Europe's premier club competition.
The match kicks off at 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT). Vincent Kompany's team is on a 10-match unbeaten run across all competitions this season, powered by the scoring form of Harry Kane and Michael Olise. However, Bayern will be without Olise — the London-born winger who came through the Arsenal academy — through suspension after he received two yellow cards in the 3-3 draw with Viking in the previous round.
Olise's absence is seen as a major boost for Arsenal, who have made a strong start to the Premier League season with just one defeat. Bukayo Saka and Victor Gyokeres lead the attack, while Declan Rice has cemented his role as the midfield conductor.
In their 15 previous Champions League meetings, Bayern have won eight, Arsenal four, with three draws.
Form this season
Bayern Munich: Top of the Bundesliga with 14 points from six games (four wins, two draws). In the Champions League they beat Bodo/Glimt 5-0 at home before drawing 3-3 away to Viking, leaving them 10th on four points.
Arsenal: Second in the Premier League with 18 points from seven games (six wins, one loss). In the Champions League they beat Napoli 1-0 away and Lille 3-0 at home, sitting seventh on six points.
Prediction
The Opta supercomputer rates Bayern's chances of winning at 46.4%, Arsenal's at 29.3%, with a 24.3% probability of a draw.
Historical head-to-head (Champions League only)
- Matches: 15
- Bayern wins: 8
- Arsenal wins: 4
- Draws: 3
Last five matches (all competitions, most recent first)
Bayern Munich: Win – Draw – Draw – Win – Win
Arsenal: Win – Win – Win – Loss – Win
Players to watch
Harry Kane and Luis Diaz (Bayern Munich): Kane has scored nine goals across all competitions, level with Olise for the team lead, along with six assists. Diaz has five goals, including a hat-trick against RB Leipzig in the most recent match.
Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice (Arsenal): Saka is joint-top of Arsenal's scoring charts with four goals, level with Gyokeres. Rice leads the assists with four.
Team news and predicted line-ups
Bayern Munich: Olise is suspended after receiving two yellow cards within a minute in the draw with Viking. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's availability remains uncertain, midfielder Jamal Musiala is out for several weeks with a thigh injury.
Predicted line-up: Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Tah; Davies; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Kartl, Saibari, Diaz; Kane.
Arsenal: Three players are injured: Piero Hincapie (ankle), Christos Tzolis (hamstring) and William Saliba (back).
Predicted line-up: Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Odegaard, Madueke; Havertz.
