Rio Ferdinand believes Bayern Munich are favourites to progress in the Champions League at the expense of Arsenal ahead of their quarter-final second leg in Germany.
Arsenal, one of the Premier League’s title contenders, head to Munich on Wednesday aiming to reach the semi-finals of the tournament, a feat they haven’t achieved since 2009.
The initial match in North London ended in a 2-2 draw, but Arsenal might be feeling less confident after their home defeat to Aston Villa over the weekend.
Bayern Munich secured a victory against Koln on Saturday, but their longstanding dominance in the Bundesliga was ended over the weekend when Bayer Leverkusen secured their first league title with five games remaining.
Since 2011, it’s the first instance of Bayern Munich not winning the Bundesliga. Despite this, Ferdinand considers Thomas Tuchel’s team as favorites for their Champions League match against Arsenal. The victor of this quarter-final will meet either Manchester City, the current Champions League holders, or the consistently successful Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
‘I think it’s advantage Bayern Munich,’ Ferdinand, who won the Champions League with Manchester United in 2008, said on his YouTube channel. ‘Bayern are at home and have all that experience in Europe.
‘Arsenal could win but it’s advantage Bayern for me. Can you imagine if [ex-Tottenham captain] Harry Kane knocks them out of Europe?
‘The biggest game of Arsenal’s season is on Wednesday night. If they lose that game, this team will never have been that low under Mikel Arteta.
‘To have a week like this, where you were in control, to then lose control in the league and then you’re out of the Champions League… I would worry for Arsenal at that point.’
Arsenal were tipped to defeat Bayern at the Emirates Stadium last week due to the visitors’ struggles in the Bundesliga this season. Bukayo Saka provided the hosts with an ideal start to the match, scoring a goal just 12 minutes into the game.
However, Bayern Munich turned the tide with goals from former Arsenal player Serge Gnabry and former Tottenham forward Harry Kane. Leandro Trossard, a substitute, leveled the score with a goal in the 76th minute, leaving the quarter-final tie evenly poised ahead of the return leg in Munich. While Arsenal are still pursuing their first Champions League title, Bayern Munich has claimed the trophy six times, most recently in 2020.
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