Why are Bayern Munich fans banned from their UCL clash with Arsenal?

With a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over FC Porto, Arsenal reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2009/10. The Gunners are sitting top of the Premier League and have made impressive progress in Europe, strengthening the feeling that this could be a memorable season for supporters.

On Friday they were drawn against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, a tough draw against the reigning German champions. However Thomas Tuchel’s side are struggling in domestic competition this season and will be without their supporters for the first leg against Arsenal.

Bayern Munich supporters have been banned from attending the away leg of their quarter-final clash after fans threw fireworks onto the field during their victory over Lazio last week. Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said that the club will not appeal the decision and criticised those involved.

“We have to accept this punishment. Not only were pyrotechnics set off, but also fired deliberately onto the field, directly endangering bystanders,” he said. “The fact we now have to play away without the support of our fans is a big blow.”

“A small group of individual offenders have done a disservice to all our supporters and the team.”

Arsenal have been told that they can fill the vacant away end with their own supporters for the home leg, a major boost for Mikel Arteta’s team ahead of the tie.

What happened the last time Arsenal played Bayern Munich?

...is a question that few Arsenal supporters will need to ask. This year’s meeting looks evenly balanced with very little to choose between the two sides, but previous Games between the Gunners and Bayern Munich have been embarrassingly one-sided.

Incredibly, each of the last three meetings between Bayern Munich and Arsenal has ended with a 5-1 victory for the German giants.

In 2016/17 the two teams met in the Round of 16 stage of the Champions League and Bayern won both legs 5-1, giving them a resounding 10-2 victory across the tie. The previous season Bayern and Arsenal had met in the group stage and the Bundesliga side ran out 5-1 winners at the Allianz Arena.

This time around, however, the omens look better for Arsenal as they look to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2008/09. The Gunners’ backline has been incredible in the Champions League and they have conceded just five goals in eight matches, the fewest in the comPetition.

Arsenal are yet to concede a single goal on home turf in this year’s competition and could get their own back against a Bayern side that is underperforming in Germany. They will be looking to channel the memories of a 2-0 victory over Bayern in 2015/16, when current coach Mikel Arteta was an unused substitute for the Gunners.