Bayern Munich against Arsenal stands as the marquee match of Wednesday\u2019s Champions League programme, and it is easy to see why. Between them, the two clubs offer a remarkable spread of talent, even if injuries and suspensions trim the field of available stars.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, here is a fresh look at a combined XI drawn only from the players available for selection, and Arsenal just about come out on top.<\/p>\n
In goal, David Raya earns the nod. Manuel Neuer has been carrying a foot injury and remains doubtful, but even if he were fully fit, Raya\u2019s recent level has been enough to place him in most mixed teams. Neuer remains the classic stopper, exceptional at the one job he is there to do, but Raya\u2019s consistency gives Arsenal the edge.<\/p>\n
At right-back, Jurrien Timber gets the call ahead of Konrad Laimer. Timber has established himself as one of the game\u2019s top full-backs, and he arrives with the confidence of an assist against Lille in this competition last time out.<\/p>\n
Gabriel is an automatic inclusion at centre-back. Arsenal\u2019s defensive structure has been built around him, and he continues to deliver the blend of power, athleticism and technique that makes him such a difficult opponent. Alongside him, Dayot Upamecano is elevated by Vincent Kompany\u2019s influence, with his form now strong enough to place him in the conversation at the very highest level.<\/p>\n
On the left, Riccardo Calafiori edges Alphonso Davies. Calafiori\u2019s game has opened up this season, and he is now contributing at both ends rather than only defending.<\/p>\n
Joshua Kimmich anchors the midfield with his usual control, while Declan Rice is included after his standout display when these sides met last season, helping Arsenal to a 3-1 win. Aleksandar Pavlovi\u0107 completes the engine room after quietly becoming a major figure in Bayern\u2019s possession game.<\/p>\n
Bukayo Saka takes the wing spot, while Michael Olise would have been a strong contender but is suspended. In attack, Harry Kane is the obvious choice. He remains the best striker in the world and has nine goals in 10 games this season, a total that would satisfy most forwards, even if it sits a little below his own standards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Arsenal and Bayern meet in the Champions League, and a combined XI just about leans toward the Gunners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[192,1062],"tags":[1162,1047],"class_list":["post-21866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal","category-bayern-munich","tag-analytics","tag-champions-league"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21866\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}