If Mikel Arteta is wondering what life without Gabriel may be like for Arsenal, then tonight’s meeting with Bayern Munich should give him the answer.
Tottenham last Sunday did not provide any real clues, with Arsenal running out 4-1 winners and only conceding via Richarlison’s remarkable long-range strike.
Spurs had two shots on target all game and a grand total of four touches inside the Arsenal penalty area.
Bayern will be a completely different proposition, and there is no chance they will produce such a toothless showing.
Vincent Kompany’s side have made a brilliant start to the season, winning 17 of their 18 games in all competitions and drawing the other one.
They are top of the Champions League with a 100 per cent record and sit just ahead of Arsenal because they have scored more goals.
Consistency in results, performances... in every metric, it’s very, very impressive
That has been the theme of Bayern’s season and tonight’s game can easily be billed as the best attack in Europe versus its best defence.
Arsenal are yet to concede in this season’s Champions League and have faced just seven shots on target in their four games.
They are also, incredibly, yet to concede at home in the group/league phase of the competition since returning under Arteta in the 2023–24 season. Across nine matches, they have scored 27 times and kept a clean sheet in all of them.
Bayern will test that record, though, as before this week’s round of games they were the Champions League’s top scorers with 14 goals in four matches.
Kompany’s side have been just as potent in the Bundesliga, scoring 41 goals in only 11 matches.
Harry Kane has unsurprisingly been at the heart of that and, despite it only being the end of November, his tally for club and country already stands at 26.
The England captain has routinely terrorised Arsenal, and he has scored 15 goals in 21 appearances against them.
It is no surprise, then, that Kane has been a topic of discussion among the Arsenal defenders this week.
“(Kane) is an amazing striker, everyone knows that,” said Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber. “He has so many qualities.
“He has been doing it for such a long time already, and now at Bayern Munich he has been one of the best players in the world.
“So, it is going to be a nice challenge for us as a team, as defenders, to stop him.”
Arsenal must try to stop Kane without Gabriel, who is out with a thigh injury. The Brazilian is having another scan today, but Arteta has already confirmed he will be out for weeks, at least.
Arteta has described Gabriel as Arsenal’s “leader” and he is a huge loss - especially on nights like this.
Piero Hincapie replaced him on Sunday against Spurs and he may well get the nod again.
The Ecuadorian barely put a foot wrong on his Premier League debut, and the fact he spent four years in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen strengthens the case for him to keep his place.
The challenge for Arsenal, however, is that this Bayern side are not the ‘Harry Kane team’.
Michael Olise has established himself as one of the best wingers in Europe, and former Gunner Serge Gnabry has impressed in the absence of the injured Jamal Musiala.
Luis Diaz being suspended is a blow, but the hype around 17-year-old Lennart Karl suggests he will not be too big a miss.
A headline on the official Bundesliga website today described him as “a young prince on the path to footballing royalty”.
“(Bayern) are in a great moment,” said Arteta. “I mean, the level of consistency they show in results, performances, in every metric that they have, it’s very, very impressive.
“We know that, but as well that’s a massive opportunity as well for us to show what we are capable of.”
The added issue for Arteta is that this Bayern game is sandwiched between two huge Premier League clashes.
Arsenal travel to Chelsea, who are second in the league, on Sunday and they showed last night against Barcelona how tough a game that will be.
The new format of the Champions League makes this match with Bayern the one Arsenal can theoretically afford to lose, as even defeat should not stop them finishing in the top eight and going straight into the knockout stages.
It is why Arteta may be tempted to make changes. Myles Lewis-Skelly could come in at left-back, while Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke are pushing to start in attack.
Arteta, however, is wary of losing the momentum gained from Sunday’s win over Spurs.
“We have to make sure we carry that energy back to the stadium, to each individual, and play with the same dominant aggression and efficiency against a top side,” he said.
“We know the importance of the match, we are in a really strong position, we want to maintain that for sure and we know that we have a beautiful and very demanding game ahead of us.”
