When the draw for the Champions League quarterfinals was made, the football world concluded that the match between Bayern Munich and Arsenal was even, the Germans were even favorites. Now, in the Bavarian capital the sensations are different before the first leg today at the Emirates (9 p.m.).
Accustomed to dominating the Bundesliga for more than a decade, champion eleven times in a row, the Munich team have lost their temper after bending the knee to Xabi Alonso's irreverent Bayer Leverkusen, who have 16 points of advantage and could seal the title next day .
“I don't give a shit about the search for a new coach,” said the Bavarians' sporting director, Max Eberl, after the defeat against modest Heidenheim (3-2), the second in a row after losing Der Klassiker against Dortmund (0- 2). Thomas Tuchel, who in February announced his departure from the entity due to poor results, has not been able to assemble the pieces of a great squad.
The team fails in high pressing, its hallmark, and lacks fluidity in attack despite the great offensive arsenal. Bayern, knocked out of the Cup by a Third Division, clings to its European pedigree and history, triumphant in the Champions League matches against the Gunners in 2005, 2013, 2014 and 2017. The return of captain Manuel Neuer, almost injured all season, is another reason for optimism in Bayern, who had to come back against Lazio in the round of 16 after losing in Rome.
“We must make a turn so as not to receive a slap in the face. “Everything is focused on Arsenal,” Eberl added. And Arteta's men arrive at a sweet moment, leaders of the Premier. The English, in the quarterfinals for the first time in 14 years, have won their four home games in this Champions League without conceding a goal. Bayern has not had a blank year since the 2011-12 season, but that time they reached the final of the continental tournament, their last bullet to save this season.
