Arsenal and Bayern Munich are two of only three teams with perfect Champions League records this season and they meet at the Emirates tonight as Harry Kane returns to north London.
The Gunners are in a buoyant mood after thumping Tottenham 4-1 to move six points clear at the top of the Premier League and they will go to second-placed Chelsea on Sunday looking to increase that advantage.
But before then, Mikel Arteta’s side face another huge test as they take on the German champions, who have caused Arsenal plenty of heartache in this competition over the years.
Both teams have won all four games they have played in the Champions League this season with Bayern impressively defeating holders Paris Saint-Germain away from home last time out.
Will Arsenal make it five from five or can Bayern halt their momentum? Follow live build-up and updates from the Champions League below:
Arsenal v Bayern Munich live: Latest Champions League updates
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- Team news: Could Arteta make changes ahead of Sunday's clash with Chelsea?
Team news
18:40 , Chris WilsonWith the line-ups being released in the next five minutes, here’s a reminder of the early team news...
Arsenal are unlikely to welcome back Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres in time for the visit of Bayern but Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke, who returned to the bench on Sunday, could play enhanced roles. Centre-back Gabriel and striker namesake Gabriel Jesus are definite absentees.
Bayern will have to make do without Luis Diaz, who was handed a three-match ban after being sent off against PSG last time out. Ex-Arsenal academy product Serge Gnabry could make a return to the Emirates to replace the Colombian, should he recover from a knee issue in time.
Match stats
18:30 , Chris WilsonArsenal have faced Bayern Munich 14 times before in the UEFA Champions League, the most times they’ve ever faced a side in the competition. The Gunners are winless across their last five meetings since a 2-0 win in October 2015 (D1 L4), with three of their four defeats in that time coming via 5-1 scorelines.
This will be the fifth time that Bayern Munich have faced Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League group/league phase, facing them during both the 2000-01 (2nd group stage) and 2015-16 campaigns. The German side have lost just one of those matches, a 2-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium in October 2015 due to goals from Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil.
Previous meetings: Round of 16, 2004/05
18:15 , Chris WilsonMeetings between these two teams were few and far between before the early 2000s, and the 2004/05 season brough the third and fourth meetings of the decade, and the first in the knockout rounds.
An Arsenal side including Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and co. took on a Bavarian XI including Oliver Kahn, Owen Hargreaves and Claudio Pizarro but they fell to a 3-1 loss away after a disappointing performance, and a lone goal from Henry at Highbury wasn’t enough to bring the Gunners level to win on away goals, with the Germans taking the spot in the next round.
Head-to-head
18:05 , Chris WilsonThese two sides have met 14 times in this competition in the past, but it’s Bayern who have the better of the rivalry, winning eight games and losing three (with the other three ending as draws).
Most recently, they met in the quarter-finals in 2023/24, with Bayern winning 1-0 at home after a 2-2 draw at the Emirates to book a place in the semis.
The end of Arsenal’s wait – and maybe a Premier League era?
17:55 , Chris WilsonThe article below is an excerpt from the free Monday edition of the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter. To get my latest analysis, reporting and insights delivered straight to your inbox, sign up by entering your email address in the box above.
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Before the jubilant Arsenal team returned to the dressing room on Sunday evening, some of their injured absentees made a point of going in just beforehand. That was because they wanted to applaud their teammates in, over what everyone thought was a near-perfect display. This is now the level, that they want to further raise.
There was even some sympathy for Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank. Some staff were watching his post-game interviews after the 4-1 defeat, where the Dane repeatedly spoke about how his side too easily lost “duels”. The belief within the Arsenal camp – echoed by some close to Spurs – was that he couldn’t say what he actually thought, for fear of the tribal backlash. That was that Arsenal were basically too good. Spurs couldn’t get close to them.
Inside Eberechi Eze and Mikel Arteta’s plan that allowed Arsenal to finally click
17:45 , Chris WilsonMore from Miguel Delaney regarding Arsenal’s win over Spurs and star man Ebere Eze...
In the week before Eberechi Eze took charge of the north London derby, and electrified the fixture, he was actually supposed to be taking it a bit easier. The 27-year-old had been given two days off after international duty with England, but insisted on getting back to Arsenal’s London Colney training ground after just one. “He wants to learn,” Mikel Artetabeamed.
The Arsenal staff have been hugely excited about Eze’s evolution, but the description from the training ground over the past few months has been that he’s been a bit “tight” in his play. In other words, he hasn’t yet felt fully relaxed in his role.
That perhaps isn’t surprising since Arteta’s tactical instructions are known to be complex, involving a lot of messages, and Eze did not have a pre-season with the club. That’s a lot to register. Declan Rice similarly struggled in 2023, with staff believing he only went to another level after Christmas, when he had fully internalised his tactical demands. By contrast, one of many reasons that Arteta adores Jurrien Timber is that he got it all straight away. Max Dowman is said to be the same, but it’s understandably rare.
Inside Eberechi Eze and Mikel Arteta’s plan that allowed Arsenal to finally click
How Eberechi Eze made a mockery of Tottenham and changed Arsenal’s Premier League fate
17:30 , Chris WilsonHere’s the report from a raucous Emirates from last week...
The stuff of club history, and maybe future champions. If it’s still far too early to say this will be seen as the day when Mikel Arteta’s side won the 2025-26 title, it is undeniably the afternoon that Eberechi Eze launched himself as an Arsenal player. Scoring a hat-trick in a north London derby will do that, especially when it was just the fourth in the history of the fixture and the first since 1978. There was of course the added edge that he was so close to signing for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.
They could barely get near him in this 4-1 defeat. Even some within the club were rolling their eyes that this is the essence of Tottenham, but it’s bigger than that. Eze took charge, and took off. The supreme third goal was some way to crown it all.
How Eze made a mockery of Tottenham and changed Arsenal’s Premier League fate
Arsenal set for quadruple injury boost as Gunners stars near returns
17:20 , Chris WilsonArsenal manager Mikel Arteta has offered an update on four of the Gunners’ injured players ahead of the Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.
The Spaniard provided updates on the status of summer signing Viktor Gyokeres, strikers Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus and Gunners captain Martin Odegaard, with all four players nearing returns for the Premier League leaders.
Arteta explained that Odegaard is the only one in contention to feature against Bayern, with the Norwegian last featuring in the win over West Ham in early October, but confirmed that Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli are now in contention to start.
Arsenal set for quadruple injury boost as Gunners stars near returns
Predicted line-ups
17:10 , Chris WilsonArsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Merino, Trossard.
Bayern Munich XI: Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Stanisic; Kimmich, Pavlovic; Olise, Karl, Gnabry, Kane.
What is the Bayern Munich team news?
17:03 , Jamie BraidwoodBayern will have to make do without Luis Diaz, who was handed a three-match ban after being sent off against PSG last time out. Ex-Arsenal academy product Serge Gnabry could make a return to the Emirates to replace the Colombian, should he recover from a knee issue in time.
What is the Arsenal team news?
17:02 , Jamie BraidwoodArsenal are unlikely to welcome back Martin Odegaard and Viktor Gyokeres in time for the visit of Bayern but Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke, who returned to the bench on Sunday, could play enhanced roles. Centre-back Gabriel and striker namesake Gabriel Jesus are definite absentees.
Kick-off time and how to watch Arsenal v Bayern Munich
17:01 , Jamie BraidwoodWhen is Arsenal vs Bayern Munich?
Arsenal’s clash with Bayern Munich kicks off at 8pm GMT on Tuesday 25 November at the Emirates Stadium in London.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the UK can watch the game live on TNT Sports 1 or TNT Sports Ultimate, with live coverage starting from 7pm. Subscribers can also stream the game on discovery+.
Good evening
17:00 , Jamie BraidwoodEurope’s two most in-form teams lock horns in the Champions League tonight as Arsenal play host to Bayern Munich.
The Gunners, fresh off their demolition of north London rivals Tottenham, are seven points clear at the top of the Premier League and have emerged as the clear favourites to lift the title this season, which would put an end to their painful run of second-place finishes.
Bayern, meanwhile, are back dominating the Bundesliga and have won every game bar one in all competitions, only dropping points away at Union Berlin ahead of the November international break.
Both Arsenal and Bayern have won all four of their league phase games so far this term, though that will be sure to change come the end of the blockbuster clash at the Emirates.
