Arsenal’s European Battles: A Historical Look at Their Rivalry with Bayern Munich

The encounter between Arturo Vidal and a disorganized Arsenal defence highlighted the struggles the Gunners faced towards the end of Arsene Wenger‘s tenure at the club.

The clashes between Arsenal and Bayern Munich have been frequent in recent years, with Mikel Arteta looking to turn the tide for the Gunners.

Here is a detailed overview of Arsenal’s head-to-head matches against Bayern Munich:

– 05/12/2000: Arsenal 2-2 Bayern Munich (Champions League)

– 14/03/2001: Bayern Munich 1-0 Arsenal (Champions League)

– 22/02/2005: Bayern Munich 3-1 Arsenal (Champions League)

– 09/03/2005: Arsenal 1-0 Bayern Munich (Champions League)

– 19/02/2013: Arsenal 1-3 Bayern Munich (Champions League)

– 13/03/2013: Bayern Munich 0-2 Arsenal (Champions League)

– 19/02/2014: Arsenal 0-2 Bayern Munich (Champions League)

– 11/03/2014: Bayern Munich 1-1 Arsenal (Champions League)

– 20/10/2015: Arsenal 2-0 Bayern Munich (Champions League)

– 04/11/2015: Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal (Champions League)

– 15/02/2017: Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal (Champions League)

Before the intense encounters in the 2010s, Arsenal and Bayern first faced off in December 2000. Thierry Henry and Nwankwo Kanu scored for Arsenal, but Bayern salvaged a 2-2 draw. Bayern won the return fixture 1-0 on their way to winning the competition.

Arsenal’s first win over Bayern came in 2005, but their 1-0 victory wasn’t enough to overturn the first leg’s 3-1 deficit.

Between 2013 and 2017, the two teams met eight times, with Bayern being dominant. Arsenal put up a fight in some matches but ultimately fell short against the German giants, especially in the 2016/17 season.

The 2016/17 clashes were particularly brutal, with Bayern winning 10-2 on aggregate. Players like Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski, and Arjen Robben were instrumental in Bayern’s dominance over Arsenal.

The disparity in quality between the two teams was evident, with Arsenal struggling to match Bayern’s level of play.

Despite the challenges, Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski managed to score important goals against Bayern, adding some bright spots to their encounters.