Arsenal have hit their stride after coming through a challenging winter period (Picture: Getty)
Dietmar Hamann fears for Bayern Munich’s chances ahead of the side’s Champions League quarter-final clash with Arsenal and believes ‘everything points towards’ the Gunners winning the tie.
Bayern enter the two-legged contest after suffering back-to-back defeats in the Bundesliga, a devastating setback which has allowed Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen to open up a near unassailable 16-point lead in the German top flight.
The Champions League represents Bayern’s last realistic shot at silverware this season and a quarter-final exit would see Thomas Tuchel depart in the summer with just one league title to his name after the club’s 2022/23 Bundesliga triumph.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will be brimming with confidence after losing just one of their last 13 matches in all competitions and head into the tie as the favourites to progress to the final four.
Bayern will, though, take encouragement from their record in knockout games against Arsenal after winning all four of their previous encounters with the north London giants in the latter stages.
Remarkably, the reigning Bundesliga champions have won by a 5-1 margin in the sides’ three most recent meetings.
However, with Bayern’s travelling support banned from attending the Emirates and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in rampant form, Hamann can see only one winner from the heavyweight quarter-final.
Hamann believes ‘everything points towards’ Arsenal beating Bayern Munich (Picture: Getty)
‘The fans is one thing, obviously there’s nothing they can do about it, but the team and the club really has been in turmoil for a few weeks and a few months now,’ the ex-Bayern, Liverpool and Germany midfielder told talkSPORT.
‘They lost to a promoted side on Saturday, Heidenheim, winning 2-0 at half-time and end up getting beaten 3-2. Incredible game.
‘I think what’s been clear with the last few weeks and months with Tuchel, he’s lost the team, they’re not united and everything points towards Arsenal.
‘And maybe that’s the biggest danger, that you can’t see any other outcome going to win over these two legs.
Bayern are badly struggling for confidence ahead of their clash with Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
Asked whether Bayern have the tools to cause Arsenal’s problems, Hamann responded: ‘100 per cent and obviously that’s a danger.
‘Arsenal have to be and they will be aware, but this is a different Arsenal team.
‘Arsenal have got a dreadful record against Bayern Munich over the last ten or 15 years but I think this is a different Arsenal team. It’s matured a lot over the last two seasons.’
Tuchel steps down as Bayern Munich manager at the end of the season (Picture: Getty)
According to Hamann, Bayern have developed a tendency to ‘fall apart’ whenever they suffer setbacks in games – something Arsenal will no doubt look to capitalise on across the two legs.
‘[Serge] Gnabry is back after injury, [Kingsley] Coman, [Leroy] Sane hasn’t scored for about 25 games now so he’s gone off the boil big time,’ he added.
‘The thing with Bayern Munich is that whenever they get a setback in a game they fall apart.
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‘There might be a time when Bayern is on top for a few minutes but Arsenal have to stick at it and if there’s a setback for the Bayern Munich team at the moment then they do fall apart.
‘If Arsenal don’t knock them out over these two legs, we may not see a semi-final for them for the foreseeable future.’
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