Six-time UEFA Champions League titlists Bayern Munich look to get back on track after a dispiriting 3-3 draw to Norwegian club Viking FK on Oct. 13, but they face a major obstacle in reigning English Premier League champions Arsenal at Allianz Arena Wednesday.
Arsenal have never won the Champions League crown, losing both appearances they have made in the final. But the Gunners remain one of only two unbeaten teams in the English Premier League, and have won both of their UCL matches, dominating Lille 3-0 and then, on Oct. 13, outlasting Napoli 1-0.
But Bayern appear to be getting a significant lift before taking on Mikel Arteta’s formidable side, with the anticipated return of one of their all-time great players.
Manuel Neuer is expected back in goal for Bayern Munich against Arsenal on Wednesday after a foot problem sidelined the captain for two matches.
The 40-year-old returns to a Bayern lineup that will be missing Joshua Kimmich, Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala, with unbeaten Arsenal arriving for a Champions League matchday three clash.
Neuer felt discomfort after two uncharacteristic errors in Bayern’s 2-2 Bundesliga draw at Augsburg on Oct. 10, according to ESPN.
Neuer rejoined team training Monday for just under 40 minutes, and he should start if no new fluid has appeared in the foot by Wednesday morning, according to a report by Bild.de.
“It makes no sense to take any unnecessary risks,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said before the trip to Viking, according to ESPN. Neuer was held out of that draw.
“It’s just a bit of fluid on the foot,” Bayern board member Max Eberl said after the Leipzig game, according to Bundesliga.com.
Jonas Urbig, 23, and widely tipped as Neuer’s eventual successor, started both games in his place.
Bayern drew 3-3 at Viking on Oct. 13 after trailing 2-0, with Harry Kane scoring twice and Olise sent off, according to Bundesliga.com. They then beat RB Leipzig 6-1 in an Oct. 17 Bundesliga match behind a Luis Díaz hat trick, according to Bundesliga.com.
Manuel Neuer’s Career and Standing Among the Greats
A Gelsenkirchen native, Neuer debuted for Schalke in August 2006, became Bayern’s No. 1 in 2011 and has captained the club since 2017.
He owns 13 Bundesliga titles, tying Thomas Müller’s record, and two Champions League trophies, in 2013 and 2020. No other goalkeeper in European football has won the domestic league, cup and Champions League treble twice. Neuer also won the 2014 World Cup, holds Germany’s goalkeeper record with 124 caps and set the Champions League record with 64 shutouts as of May, according to Bundesliga.com numbers.
The IFFHS named him the world’s best goalkeeper five times, including four years running from 2013 to 2016, and his 246 Bundesliga clean sheets stand as a league record. “Conceivably the finest goalkeeper ever produced,” Bundesliga.com wrote of Neuer.
Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal Preview, Absences and TV Info
Bayern host as the favorite, with Kalshi pricing a 48% chance of a home win, 29% for Arsenal and 25% for a draw, while the Gunners have kept seven clean sheets this season, according to Covers analyst.
Bayern lacks Olise, suspended for one match after his red card at Viking, and Kimmich, 31, who is out after a death in his immediate family, according to Reuters. Musiala remains out with a torn thigh muscle fiber, with Bayern internally expecting him back for the Oct. 28 DFB Cup game against Magdeburg, according to Bild.
Arsenal will miss William Saliba (back), Piero Hincapie (ankle) and Christos Tzolis (hamstring), according to Sports Mole. Kompany himself has struggled with a virus, according to The Standard.
Arsenal won both league-phase games so far and sit two points ahead of Bayern. The Gunners also lost last season’s Champions League final and won last season’s league-phase meeting with Bayern 3-1.
Kickoff is 9 p.m. in Munich, 8 p.m. in the U.K., 3 p.m. ET and noon PT. U.S. viewers can stream English-language coverage on Paramount+, according to Sporting News‘ viewing guide. In the U.K., TNT Sports 1 carries the match, with streaming on HBO Max. In Germany, DAZN streams the match exclusively for subscribers. Free, over-the-air television will not carry Wednesday’s Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal match.
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