Arsenal returned to the Champions League after a six-year absence. And they didn’t hesitate to demonstrate their ability to compete; Arteta’s young club advanced past the Champions League group stages, winning four games while drawing and losing one.
They advanced to the round of 16, where they faced FC Porto in a tricky two-legged match. As expected, they eliminated the Portuguese giants in the quarterfinals after beating them on penalties.
Arsenal will now face Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals — their toughest opponent yet in the Champions League. Year after year, the German giants have advanced to the Champions League knockout stage and troubled their opponents.
With the defending Bundesliga champions underperforming and Arsenal in top form, one could argue that the Gunners have a chance.
However, ex-Liverpool and Bayern Munich player Didi Haman believes Arsenal’s lack of experience will be their demise in their pursuit of the 2023–24 Champions League title.
The German believes that if he learned anything from Arsenal’s round-of-16 match against Porto, it is that the Gunners are not as bullish in the Champions League as they have been in the league.
He claims that with only Kai Havertz (and Jorginho, whom he did not mention) boasting Champions League experience, Bayern can rely on their experience to control Arsenal.
“I wouldn’t be blinded by Arsenal’s lead in the league table in England: of course they’re a good team”, Hamann explained to German magazine Sport Bild. “But they are completely inexperienced at this level in the Champions League.
“Apart from [Kai] Havertz, they don’t have a player who has done anything in the Champions League class.
“Against Porto you could see what problems Arsenal suddenly had.
“That’s why it’s a very feasible task for FC Bayern.
“It won’t be easy, but greater experience could ultimately be the deciding factor for the record German champions.”
Arsenal has demonstrated that inexperience does not hold them back. They’ve gotten to where they are in the Champions League by turning up in games and doing the job. We can only rely on our Gunners to show up against Bayern Munich and dominate them, just like they did FC Porto in the round of 16.
The Emirates will host the opening leg of the Arsenal versus Bayern Munich UCL quarterfinals on April 9th; the absence of Bayern fans gives our Gunners an advantage. The Allianz Arena will host the second leg on April 17.
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