Arsenal receives a big advantage from UEFA for the Champions League tie against Bayern Munich

Arsenal will benefit from an all-home crowd when they take on Bayern Munich in the first leg of their quarter-final Champions League next month.

The Gunners reached the quarter-finals of Europe's elite club competition for the first time since 2010 thanks to a penalty shootout victory against Porto in the round of 16.

Their reward will be facing Bundesliga champions Bayern, who are currently on a three-game winning streak of 5-1 against Arsenal due to their most recent matches being between 2015 and 2017.

Although Arsenal will play the first leg at home (a factor often seen as a disadvantage in two-legged ties), they have a great chance to gain an advantage in front of an all-home crowd of 60,000. .

Bayern have been sanctioned by UEFA after fans threw fireworks onto the pitch during their 3-0 win against Lazio in the second leg of their round of 16 tie. The club had already been fined 40,000 euros and suspended access to visiting fans for a similar incident in their victory against Copenhagen in the group stage.

“We have to accept this punishment. Not only were pyrotechnics set off, but they were also deliberately shot into the countryside, directly endangering passers-by.” said Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen.

“This is such an explicit violation of the conditions of freedom that, unfortunately, an appeal is useless”

“The fact that we now have to play away from home without the support of our fans is a hard blow. “A small group of individual offenders have done a disservice to all of our fans and the team.”

Arsenal will be able to sell tickets to local fans in what is usually the visiting corner of the Emirates. The first leg will be played on April 9 before the second leg at the Allianz Arena on April 17, with the winners facing either Manchester City or Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

Before that, Arsenal will play three times in the Premier League.
They return from the March international break with a trip to title rivals City on March 31 before returning home to face Luton Town three days later. The Gunners will then travel to Brighton & Hove Albion on April 6.

Meanwhile, Bayern will visit Darmstadt on March 16 before taking a break for international matches. They will host Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena on March 30 and then face Heidenheim on April 6 before their first meeting with Arsenal.