Arsenal or Bayern Munich? William Gallas predicts winner of UCL quarter final tie between the 2 sides
William Gallas has backed Arsenal to beat Bayern Munich in their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie.
The Gunners were drawn against the six-time European champions after advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2010. David Raya was the hero in the previous round as Mikel Arteta's men won a 4-2 penalty shootout against FC Porto after a 1-1 aggregate draw.
Bayern booked their place in the quarterfinals with a 3-1 aggregate win against Lazio. They'd trailed the Serie A side 1-0 from the first leg but bounced back at the Allianz Arena.
The two European giants' first leg takes place Tuesday (April 9) with Arsenal at home. UEFA have banned the Bavarians from taking fans to the stadium due to crowd trouble against Lazio.
Gallas previewed that game by alluding to Bayern's in-form frontman Harry Kane. The England captain has a history against the north Londoners from his time with Tottenham Hotspur and is the north London derby's all-time top scorer (14):
"Kane always scores against Arsenal and at the Emirates too. It will be a great game and we know that Bayern won't be champions in the Bundesliga, so for the Bayern players it will be very important for them to qualify for the next round."
Arteta's troops are in red-hot form in the league, unbeaten in their last nine outings. They were on an eight-game winning streak until a 0-0 stalemate with Manchester City last Sunday (March 31).
Gallas noted how difficult a test it will be for the Gunners and the winners will face either City or Real Madrid in the semifinals. The Frenchman tipped his former club to prevail:
"It won't be easy for Arsenal as they are still in the race for the title, it will be tough for Arsenal to qualify. I think Arsenal can make a surprise in the Champions League, so I'm still picking (them) to go through."
The Gunners have never won Europe's elite club competition. The closest they came was in 2006 when they suffered a 2-1 loss to Barcelona in the final at the Stade de France.
Ian Wright thinks Bayern may target Arsenal star Jorginho
Jorginho has recently been a prominent member of Arteta's midfield and started in the draw against City last weekend. The Italian midfielder also started in the Gunners' 1-0 second-leg win against Porto in the Champions League last 16 (March 12).
The 32-year-old has made 29 appearances across competitions, registering one goal and one assist. His place in the starting XI has sometimes been scrutinized.
Ian Wright raised concerns about Jorginho after learning the north Londoners will face Bayern. He suggested the Bavarians may target him with such high stakes (via TEAMTalk):
"The problem I feel we might have is that if Jorginho is playing in those games, I think the more that's on the line and the more we need to control games, the more Jorginho has a chance of playing – so, I think people will cater for him."
Jorginho has experience winning the Champions League as he did so with Chelsea in 2021. The veteran midfielder will likely come up against the Bavarians' dangerous attacking midfield duo Jamal Musiala and Thomas Muller.