Bayern Munich will face Arsenal without Michael Olise, Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala on Wednesday, leaving significant gaps in their team for a Champions League meeting at the Allianz Arena. Arsenal arrive with two wins and no goals conceded in the league phase, but Bayern’s depleted squad still contains enough attacking quality to make this their toughest European examination so far.
The match kicks off at 8pm BST on October 21. Neither side’s starting lineup has been confirmed in the supplied reporting, with Manuel Neuer’s availability remaining a point of disagreement and Vincent Kompany’s potential touchline absence adding another uncertainty.
Bayern’s missing players change the challenge
Olise is suspended following his dismissal against Viking, while Musiala continues his recovery from a thigh injury sustained with Germany. Bayern have also confirmed that Kimmich will miss the match following a family bereavement.
Those absences matter collectively, rather than simply as three missing names. Without Kimmich, Bayern lose an established organiser in midfield; without Musiala and Olise, they have fewer familiar routes for turning possession into opportunities around the penalty area.
Predicted selections suggest Tom Bischof could partner Aleksandar Pavlovic centrally, with Lennart Karl taking the right-sided attacking position and Ismael Saibari operating behind Harry Kane. That would preserve Bayern’s usual attacking structure, but not necessarily the same relationships within it.
For Arsenal, the opportunity is to pressure those connections before they settle. The danger is assuming that reduced familiarity means reduced threat. Luis Diaz scored three times in Bayern’s 6-1 weekend victory over RB Leipzig, while Kane also found the net. Bayern’s remaining forwards do not need complete control of a match to punish mistakes.
Neuer uncertainty leaves an important question open
Reports differ over Bayern’s goalkeeper. One account says Neuer could miss out because of his foot problem, leaving Jonas Urbig ready to continue. Other reports point to his participation in Tuesday’s training as evidence that he is likely to return.
Even the more optimistic predicted-lineup report retains Neuer among the doubts. Training participation therefore supports the possibility of a comeback, rather than confirming one. The official teams will be needed to resolve that discrepancy.
Kompany’s position is similarly unsettled, with illness reportedly threatening his presence on the touchline. There is no confirmation in the reports that he will be absent.
These uncertainties make the opening stages particularly revealing. Arsenal will need to establish whether Bayern can move the ball through midfield under pressure, while Bayern must judge how aggressively they can commit players forward without exposing an unfamiliar central pairing.
Arsenal’s control faces a different examination
Arsenal have beaten Napoli and Lille without conceding in this season’s competition. Their latest European victory, a 3-0 success against Lille, was followed by a 1-0 league win over Nottingham Forest, secured by substitute Noni Madueke.
Madueke is consequently pressing for a starting place. That presents Mikel Arteta with a genuine selection trade-off: reward a player who changed the previous match, or retain an attacking option capable of influencing this one after Bayern have begun making adjustments.
William Saliba and Christos Tzolis remain unavailable. Piero Hincapie has resumed individual work but is not expected to feature, while Kepa Arrizabalaga is available again as cover for David Raya.
Arsenal’s clean sheets provide encouragement, but they do not establish that the same defensive approach will contain Kane and Diaz. Saliba’s absence makes collective protection especially important: pressure on the ball and distances between the lines may matter as much as individual defending.
Last season’s 3-1 home victory over Bayern offers a more recent reference point than Arsenal’s heavier historical defeats in Munich. Neither, however, resolves how these altered teams will match up away from London.
Forecasts disagree on a finely balanced fixture
The published previews reach different conclusions: one predicts a 2-1 Bayern victory, while another anticipates a 1-1 draw. Their disagreement reflects the central tension between Bayern’s home attacking threat and Arsenal’s defensive start to the competition.
The Bayern Munich vs Arsenal prediction assigns Arsenal a 42% chance of winning, a draw 41% and Bayern victory 17%. Confidence is only 35%, so that unusually low home probability should be treated cautiously rather than as a settled assessment.
The decisive question is whether Arsenal can exploit Bayern’s missing creators without becoming stretched by the attackers who remain.
Kick-off and television coverage
UK coverage is scheduled on TNT Sports 1 from 7pm BST, with streaming through HBO Max. The match is also listed on RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Player in Ireland, Paramount+ in the United States and Stan Sport in Australia, subject to local access requirements.