Arsenal FC lost their lead in the Premier League - and ruined the dress rehearsal for the second leg of the CL quarter-finals against FC Bayern.
Update from April 15th, 10:40 a.m.:
Before the cracking second leg in the Champions League quarter-finals against FC Bayern, the bad news at Arsenal doesn't stop. After the 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa and the loss of the league lead, the “Gunners” are now also worried about captain Martin Odegaard.
In the Londoners' botched dress rehearsal, Odegaard had to leave the field injured in the 79th minute. “He felt something and couldn’t continue,” said team manager Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard spoke to the BBC about his captain's “leg problem”. But that's not all: winger Bukayo Saka, who scored London's opening goal in the first leg, also limped off the pitch after the game.
First report from April 14th, 9:49 p.m.:
London - It almost came with a bit of an announcement: After the intense first leg in the Champions League quarter-finals against FC Bayern Munich, FC Arsenal now had Aston Villa in the Premier League. Against the top team from Birmingham, who jumped to fourth place thanks to the threesome, they lost 2-0.
Bitter Arsenal setback before the Champions League clash against FC Bayern
The Londoners completely ruined their dress rehearsal before the second leg in Munich and lost their lead in the table. In the three-way battle for the Premier League crown, Manchester City (73 points) now has the best cards after Liverpool also lost on Sunday afternoon (0-1 against Crystal Palace). The Reds and the Gunners still have 71 points. The bankruptcies were a bitter setback for both of them.
Will the pressure on Arsenal be too great in the crucial phase of the season? With the championship and the Champions League, Mikel Arteta's team is still celebrating two happy times. The Munich team, who won their Bundesliga game 2-0 against 1. FC Köln on Saturday, can fully focus on the Champions League.
Arsenal lost their lead in the Premier League ahead of the Champions League quarter-finals
The fact is: Arsenal couldn't gain any confidence against Aston Villa. Former Leverkusen player Leon Bailey (84th), whose former colleagues secured the Bundesliga championship on Sunday, and Ollie Watkins (87th) shocked the Londoners.
For the Gunners, the Premier League continues after the premier class clash in Munich (April 17th) against Wolverhampton (April 20th), before two more top games come up: First there is the city duel with Chelsea FC (April 23rd). , then you have to go to Tottenham for the prestigious North London derby (April 28). A tight program.
FC Bayern against Arsenal without the injured Kingsley Coman
At FC Bayern, however, all eyes are on the second leg against Arsenal. The Munich team also had to cope with bad news before the premier class hit: Kingsley Coman was injured and will be out for several weeks. There are two more serious absences, Serge Gnabry (also injured) and Alphonso Davies (suspended).
(akl)