“No longer the Arsenal that Bayern have always comfortably dispatched” - Thomas Muller admits his side face a ‘big task’ in their UCL Q/F tie
Thomas Muller feels Arsenal will be a tougher test than they have been in recent encounters with Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.
The Bundesliga giants have dominated the Gunners in Europe's elite club competition. They boast seven wins to the Premier League heavyweights' three.
Muller has been part of Bayern sides that have embarrassed Arsenal in their last three clashes. The Bavarians have won all three games 5-1, including at the Emirates in 2017 which led to a 10-2 aggregate win.
However, the 34-year-old is aware that Mikel Arteta's Gunners are a different beast. They have been in red-hot form since the turn of the year, unbeaten in the league since December.
Muller thinks Bayern have the toughest possible draw to try and reach the Champions League final at Wembley (June 1). The winners will face either Manchester City or Real Madrid in the semifinals.
The German attacker said (via centregoals):
"Anyone who followed the draw will know that we probably have the toughest road to the final. But maybe that's exactly our path."
The veteran forward gave his take on their quarterfinal opponents and highlighted their improvement under Arteta but was confident of prevailing:
"This is no longer the Arsenal that Bayern have always comfortably dispatched in the past. It will be a big task, but I'm convinced that we will beat the Gunners."
Thomas Tuchel's men are perhaps underdogs amid a dismal Bundesliga campaign. They have all but certainly surrendered the title to Bayer Leverkusen as they trail them by 13 points with seven games left.
Arsenal currently sit top of the Premier League after beating Luton Town 2-0 on Wednesday (April 3). They hold a one-point lead over second-placed Liverpool who have a game in hand.
The two European giants meet in the first leg at the Emirates on Tuesday (April 9). The second leg occurs at the Allianz Arena on April 17.
Thomas Tuchel vowed Bayern could beat Arsenal after a disappointing defeat to Borussia Dortmund
Tuchel is leaving Bayern at the end of the season as the Bavarians' 11-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga title looks set to end. The German tactician arrived in March 2023 as Julian Nagelsmann's replacement but has struggled in the Allianz Arena hotseat.
The former Chelsea boss watched on as his side were beaten 2-0 by his former employers Borussia Dortmund (March 30). He admitted that the title race was over and congratulated Leverkusen who are still unbeaten.
However, Tuchel insisted Bayern could still beat Arsenal in Europe's elite club competition despite their concerning league form (via The Mirror):
"We are able to beat Arsenal even if today this is hard to believe. We have very different performances within a short period of time so this is not new to us."
Bayern booked their place in the quarterfinals by beating Lazio 3-1 on aggregate. They suffered a 1-0 loss away to the Serie A side in the first leg but earned a comfortable 3-0 home win in the second.