"I'm waiting for you!" - Thomas Muller sends message to Arsenal after Bayern Munich draw the Gunners in UEFA Champions League
Bayern Munich attacker Thomas Muller has thrown down the gauntlet to his compatriot Kai Havertz after the Bavarians drew Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal.
Following the draw made in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday (March 15), Thomas Tuchel's Bayern will travel to the Emirates to face Havertz and the Gunners on April 9 in the first leg. The tie will conclude at the Allianz Arena in Munich eight days later.
In a video message uploaded by Bayern & Germany on X, Muller, a two-time Champions League winner with the Bavarians, said:
"And it's Arsenal! Kai Havertz, my friend, I am waiting for you! It's a nice draw. Two very good teams, two very good stadiums, two very good cities. It will be tough, but I am always positive. See you Gunners!"
Both Bayern and the Gunners needed to overhaul first-leg deficits in their respective Round of 16 ties to reach the quarterfinals.
Mikel Arteta's Gunners lost 1-0 at FC Porto in the first leg before a Leandro Trossard strike at the Emirates sent the tie to overtime - and subsequentlly - penalties. The Premier League side prevailed 4-2, thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper David Raya, to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in 14 years.
Meanwhile, Bayern stumbled 1-0 in their first leg at Lazio but overturned the deficit at home, winning 3-0, with Harry Kane scoring twice and Muller once.
What happened when Arsenal last met Thomas Muller's Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League?
Arsenal have met Bayern Munich 12 times in the UEFA Champions League but have won only twice, losing seven times.
Mikel Arteta's side have had a trio of 5-1 hidings in the competition in their last as three meetings with the Bavarians. In their last meeting in the Round of 16 in the 2016-17 edition, Bayern won the first leg 5-1 at home, with Thiago Alcantara netting a brace, while Robert Lewandowski, Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller also got on the scoresheet.
Three weeks later, the scoreline repeated at the Emirates, with the Gunners once again on the wrong side of the result. Lewandowski and Robben were on the scoresheet again, as also Douglas Costa, while Arturo Vidal netted a brace.