Arsenal must secure a result away at Bayern Munich on Wednesday night if they're to progress in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

“The Star of the South”, having replaced Nagelsmann with Tuchel last spring, could have immediately failed. Thomas managed to quickly fly out of both the cup and the Champions League, but then his once native Borussia Dortmund literally presented him with a “silver salad bowl” – there happened a misfire of the opponent at the very last moment. This time, even Stuttgart can take 2nd place in the Bundesliga, and Bayer wins the trophy. It is also reasonable to mention a 0-3 failure in the battle against Bayern in the Super Cup and an early departure, due to the loss to Saarbrücken, in the national cup. Lazio could have completely “ruined” Bayern’s mentor, but, having confidently won the first match of the 1/8 finals at the home arena, the Italian club lost devastatingly to Kane and the company in the return game. The struggle with the English grandee started better – that match brought an away 2-2 draw.

“The Gunners”, after a protracted stagnation, “shot” a year ago. They lost the title race to Manchester City but achieved their best result since Wenger, finishing in 2nd place. And, that is the most important, they, having strengthened themselves with a number of smart players led by Havertz and Rice, remain among the leaders of the Premier League, with a chance of even winning the title, now. At the same time, the return to the Champions League has also been successful so far. Still, it is reasonable to mention some reservations: Mikel Arteta’s wards overcame the group stage without obvious troubles, but the 1/8 final was overcome only due to Raya’s saves – Porto was defeated in the post-match series. The confrontation with “the Rekordmeister” started on the native field. There, the team, having opened the score, eventually “snatched” at least a 2-2 draw.