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Jesus: We won't take Bayern lightly

Jesus: We won't take Bayern lightly

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Gabriel Jesus has insisted that Arsenal will not take Bayern Munich — or “the best finisher in the world” Harry Kane lightly — and that his side deserve to be at this stage of the Champions League.

Arsenal face Bayern in the north London club’s first appearance in a Champions League quarter-final since 2010 tomorrow. To reach this point, they topped their group before beating Porto in the last 16.

Top of the Premier League, while Bayern are second in the Bundesliga off the back of two successive defeats, Arsenal are seen as favourites. Jesus is not putting much stock in that, however.

“No team in the world is perfect,” the Brazilian forward said on Bayern. “Everyone knows their history, they won a lot of titles in the Champions League and the Bundesliga. Everyone knows the quality of the club and the players. It doesn’t matter if they’ve struggled in the past few games, they’re still Bayern. They can hurt us.

“I don’t think we are favourites but it’s the quarter-final of the Champions League. If we arrive there it’s because we deserve it and we have quality too. Okay they are Bayern, and we have to respect them, but we are Arsenal. Like we will respect them, they will respect us also. It will be a big game and a huge battle.”

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Walker and Ake left out of Manchester City squad for Real Madrid trip

Walker and Ake left out of Manchester City squad for Real Madrid trip

(Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)

Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake have been left out of Manchester City’s travelling squad for their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Walker, 33, has missed City’s last three Premier League games with a hamstring issue, having sustained the problem while on international duty with England.

Ake, 29, has been absent for City’s last two matches after suffering a calf injury in the first half of City’s goalless draw with Arsenal on March 31.

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Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake left out of Manchester City squad for Real Madrid trip

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Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake left out of Manchester City squad for Real Madrid trip

Favourites tag 'irrelevant' ahead of Bayern clash, says Arsenal boss Arteta

Favourites tag 'irrelevant' ahead of Bayern clash, says Arsenal boss Arteta

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Mikel Arteta says claims that Arsenal are favourites ahead of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich are “irrelevant”.

Arsenal welcome Bayern to the Emirates Stadium tomorrow as Premier League leaders. The German champions come into the game off the back of successive Bundesliga losses in a campaign where they will likely fail to win the league for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

Bayern Munich chief Max Eberl called Arsenal favourites because of this, to which Arteta said: “I can understand those debates. For us it’s irrelevant, we have to put in a performance to beat a top and exceptional team with exceptional individuals. We have to earn every right to win the match.

“(They are a) top team. I’m a big fan, big admirer of Thomas (Tuchel), his teams, the way they set up and play, what they transmit. I’ve learned a lot about him and looking at Bayern, when you analyse them deeply, you see why they’re a top team.

“We’ve prepared very well and we have to take our game where we want it. If we do that we have a chance to win.”

Bayern's squad for Arsenal game

A certain Manuel Neuer, who has missed his side's last two games with an adductor issue, is included in Bayern's travelling party...

Thomas Tuchel will be speaking to the media later on.

Man Utd's FA Cup semi-final prompts ‘enhanced’ policing operation due to Liverpool fixture clash

The British Transport Police (BTP) will have an “enhanced policing presence” for Manchester United’s FA Cup semi-final match against Coventry City ahead of potential logistical overlaps with Liverpool’s Premier League visit to Fulham.

United are due to play Coventry at Wembley in the second FA Cup semi-final on Sunday, April 21, with a kick-off time scheduled by the Football Association (FA) for 3.30pm BST following discussions with the Metropolitan Police, who deemed the fixture as ‘medium-risk’.

However, Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Fulham at Craven Cottage is due to take place one hour later, a fixture that was rescheduled in March for broadcast reasons. The game will be shown live on Sky Sports. The overlap between these fixtures raises concerns about potential issues, as supporters from both United and Liverpool are expected to converge in the capital. Services departing from Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street both terminate at London Euston, increasing the likelihood of encounters between fans before and after the matches.

Although the BTP are unable to go into detail on what the policing presence will look like ahead of the events, it will be more than average.

A spokesperson said: "The safety of rail passengers remains the force's top priority and there will be an enhanced policing presence and specialist resources deployed across the rail network throughout the weekend."

Manchester United’s FA Cup semi-final prompts ‘enhanced’ policing operation due to Liverpool fixture clash

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Manchester United’s FA Cup semi-final prompts ‘enhanced’ policing operation due to Liverpool fixture clash

Full Arsenal squad train ahead of Bayern quarter-final

Full Arsenal squad in training ahead of Bayern Munich Champions League clash

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There were no absentees in Arsenal’s training session today ahead of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

Every member of the first team squad was present at the Sobha Reality Training Centre on Monday, including Jurrien Timber who continues his recovery from the anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained in August.

Manager Mikel Arteta said earlier this month that Timber has a “good chance” of playing again for the north London side this season.

Bayern have been boosted by Manuel Neuer, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, and Noussair Mazraoui returning to training ahead of the game.

They will however be without Sacha Boey, Bouna Sarr and Tarek Buchmann who missed Monday’s training sessions as they recover from injury issues.

5-1, 5-1, 5-1 – why Arsenal’s collapses against Bayern were all about Koscielny

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5-1, 5-1, 5-1 – why Arsenal’s collapses against Bayern were all about Koscielny

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Ampadu a major doubt for Leeds vs Sunderland

Ampadu a major doubt for Leeds' clash vs Sunderland

Alex Burstow/Getty Images

Ethan Ampadu is a major doubt for Leeds United's clash against Sunderland on Tuesday due to illness.

The defender has been an ever-present in Daniel Farke's side this season, having made 46 appearances across all competitions.

Leeds have a short training session tomorrow and Farke says he will have to feature in that in order to be in contention.

He said: “There’s a question mark about Ethan Ampadu. He’s struggling with illness in the last 48 hours. He wasn’t available to train yesterday or today. It’ll be a tight race to see if he’s available for a short session tomorrow morning. He will need to be available for this to be in the mix but there’s a big doubt behind him.”

Ampadu played the full game in Leeds' 2-1 defeat at Coventry City in the Championship on Saturday.

Everton handed two-point deduction for breaching financial rules

Everton handed two-point deduction for breaching financial rules

Everton have been given a further two-point deduction for a breach of the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

The penalty, imposed by an independent commission that the Premier League referred Everton to in January, is the Merseyside club's second of the campaign and relates to the three-year accounting period ending in the 2022-23 season.

Everton's latest deduction drops them down a place to 16th in the Premier League standings, two points above the relegation zone.

Everton were hit with a 10-point penalty in November for a PSR breach relating to the three-year period ending in the 2021-22 season, though that was reduced to six in February.

The club have confirmed they will now appeal against their second penalty. The Premier League can also appeal against the independent commission's decision, to increase the sanction.

More details below

Everton handed two-point deduction for breaching Premier League financial rules

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Everton handed two-point deduction for breaching Premier League financial rules

Casemiro opens up on sleepless nights over Man United league position

Casemiro opens up on sleepless nights over Man Utd league position

Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Casemiro has admitted to having sleepless nights over Manchester United's Premier League results this season.

Sunday's 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool ensured United stay sixth in the Premier League standings, 11 points from fourth and 22 points from the top of the standings.

"It's difficult. This is the point that bothers me most about not fighting for titles," Casemiro said to ESPN Brazil.

"Being 20 points behind first place. Sometimes, I can't even sleep to try to think about doing something different. It's reality. There's no point in thinking about title or Champions League places, we need to think about today's games.

"We need to think about the day to day, we had the opportunity to score nine points in the last few games and we scored two. We were upset. We have to think game by game and focus on the next match, against Bournemouth."

Manchester United 2 Liverpool 2: More Mainoo, more chaos, Klopp’s side made to pay

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Manchester United 2 Liverpool 2: More Mainoo, more chaos, Klopp’s side made to pay

Ancelotti yet to decide who will partner Rudiger against Man City

Ancelotti yet to decide who will partner Rudiger against Man City

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti says he has not decided who will partner Antonio Rudiger in defence in his side’s Champions League quarter-final clash with Manchester City on Tuesday.

Eder Militao returned to action during the 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on March 31 after eight months out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

However, The Athletic previously reported that the 26-year-old Brazil international is not expected to return for the game at Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

Ancelotti said: “I have not communicated anything to the players. There is a doubt, nothing more. I will communicate the team tomorrow.”

Nacho, 34, and Aurelien Tchouameni, 24, have partnered Rudiger in Real’s last two games.

David Alaba is unavailable as he continues his recovery after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee in December.

Champions League quarter-finals preview: Analysing each team’s strengths and weaknesses

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Champions League quarter-finals preview: Analysing each team’s strengths and weaknesses

Williamson to start in England's Euro 2025 qualifier vs Republic of Ireland

Leah Williamson will make her first start for England in nearly a year when they face the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old has not featured for the Lionesses since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in April 2023, which forced her to miss last summer’s World Cup.

She was included in Sarina Wiegman’s squad for England’s European Championship 2025 qualifiers this month and was an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw against Sweden last Friday.

Williamson said: "Who I am on the pitch, who you've always seen on the pitch is exactly what I was off the pitch. I don't think I was a calming presence for anyone during the World Cup, especially.

"I've enjoyed watching the girls. I've enjoyed being a part of that journey in a different way. I've got people that play for the team that are very important to me. It has been a difficult journey. I'd be lying if I said this wasn't the thing that I'd had my focus on. This is where I wanted to get back to. I wanted to be good enough to get back into this squad. I had some of the best memories of my life as part of this team.

"It was emotional on Friday for me (being on the bench against Sweden). I'm an emotional person. We've all seen me cry on many occasions. If there's a team that you want to be in in the world, I think the Lionesses will be up there and I love playing for England.

"Being at the World Cup final and sitting next to Jill Scott was one of the worst decisions I've ever made in my whole life. Not being at the World Cup final and just sitting next to Jill. I just live and breathe it. I love playing for England, but I also love watching England. I was not a calming presence, as I'm probably known for on the pitch, but not on the sidelines."

Leah Williamson to start in England’s Euro 2025 qualifier against Republic of Ireland

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Leah Williamson to start in England’s Euro 2025 qualifier against Republic of Ireland

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Arteta praised as ‘leader’ by ex-Arsenal teammate Serge Gnabry: ‘He built us up’

Arteta praised as ‘leader’ by ex-Arsenal teammate Serge Gnabry: ‘He built us up’

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Mikel Arteta has been described as a ‘leader’ by his former Arsenal teammate and Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry.

“He’s now fully absorbed in his role as coach and thinks very strategically,” Gnabry said of Arteta in an interview with Bayern Munich’s website.

“In my time, he was already an experienced player. He was the captain, a leader who spoke to everyone and communicated a lot."

Full story below

Mikel Arteta praised as ‘leader’ by ex-Arsenal teammate Serge Gnabry: ‘He built us up’

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Mikel Arteta praised as ‘leader’ by ex-Arsenal teammate Serge Gnabry: ‘He built us up’

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Neuer, Sane and Coman return to Bayern training ahead of Arsenal

Neuer, Sane and Coman return to Bayern training ahead of Arsenal

Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images

Bayern Munich have been boosted by Manuel Neuer, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, and Noussair Mazraoui returning to training ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal on Tuesday.

Bayern captain Neuer sustained a left adductor injury while on international duty with Germany in March. The 37-year-old goalkeeper has missed his side’s last two games with Sven Ulreich deputising in his absence.

Coman, 27, Sane, 28, Mazraoui, 26, and Pavlovic, 19, missed the 3-2 shock defeat to tenth-place Heidenheim on Saturday, but have returned to training ahead of the game against the north London side.

However, Sacha Boey, Bouna Sarr, and Tarek Buchmann missed Monday's training session as they recover from injury issues.

The German side will fly to London on Monday before taking on Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

Bayern have lost their last two games, with the defeat to Heideinheim meaning that Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who face Werder Bremen at the BayArena on Sunday, are one victory away from winning the title.

5-1, 5-1, 5-1 – why Arsenal’s collapses against Bayern were all about Koscielny

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5-1, 5-1, 5-1 – why Arsenal’s collapses against Bayern were all about Koscielny

Blind no longer 'torturing' himself over heart condition

Girona defender Daley Blind says he used to “torture” himself over his heart condition but he no longer thinks about it during matches.

In December 2019, the Netherlands international was diagnosed with myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle — after suffering from dizziness during Ajax’s Champions League match against Valencia that month.

He was fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), a device which monitors and corrects heart rhythm.

Eight months later, the former Manchester United player collapsed during a pre-season friendly with Ajax in 2020 when the incident reoccurred, leading to further medical tests and a stay in hospital, but he was advised his playing career could continue.

In an interview with The Athletic last year, Blind explained he had been "close to another heart attack" during that incident, and his ICD advice had buzzed as his heart rate had gone too high.

Blind, 34, has now referenced the Dutch expression 'this may be my second or third life', but added he was "feeling very good" and looking after himself.

Daley Blind no longer ‘torturing’ himself over heart condition

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Daley Blind no longer ‘torturing’ himself over heart condition

Voller extends Germany contract

Voller extends Germany contract

Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

Rudi Voller will continue in his role as director of the German national team until after the 2026 World Cup after extending his contract.

The 1990 World Cup winner, 63, has been in the role since February 2023 and took interim charge of the side following Hansi Flick's sacking in September.

Julian Nagelsmann has since been appointed and will lead the side at Euro 2024.

Voller will now continue in his role through the European Championships — where Germany are hosts — this summer and on to the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026.

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Ten Hag defends Man United's style of play against Liverpool

Ten Hag defends Man United's style of play against Liverpool

Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

Erik ten Hag has defended Manchester United’s performance against Liverpool and suggested an open, end-to-end game is what should be expected in matches against them.

Ten Hag’s side once again came under pressure — just as they did against Brentford last weekend and Chelsea on Thursday — and faced a significant amount of shots on goal with Liverpool having 15 in the first half to United’s zero.

They should have been more than the one Luis Diaz goal down at the break but a turnaround after the interval and strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo gave them the lead heading into the closing stages.

However, Mohamed Salah's late penalty earned the visitors a share of the points at Old Trafford.

Asked whether he would consider changing his side's style of play, Ten Hag said: "No, it's clear when you play Chelsea, when you play Liverpool it will be a transition game. They are top, both teams. Both teams want to play and will leave space for others.

"I thought that there were moments where we could've done better reactions in defensive transitions, but in general we did very good. We conceded only goals from two set plays. In our transitions, we could've done even better — for example (Alejandro) Garnacho and Bruno. Already after a couple of minutes we should've took the lead."

More from Ten Hag below

Erik ten Hag defends Manchester United’s style of play against Liverpool

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Erik ten Hag defends Manchester United’s style of play against Liverpool

Nuno wanted Maddison sent off for Yates incident

Nuno wanted Maddison sent off for Yates incident

Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo voiced his frustration over what he perceived as a missed opportunity to send off James Maddison during their 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

In the 44th minute, Spurs midfielder Maddison was involved in an off-the-ball altercation with Ryan Yates, resulting in the Forest captain falling to the ground.

Yates urged referee Simon Hooper to review the incident, but VAR opted not to intervene despite replays showing Maddison making contact with the Forest midfielder's stomach. This decision came when the score was still level at 1-1.

Nuno said, as quoted by Reuters: "It doesn't look like he punched him, he punched him. I saw the image and that is why I speak to you.

"I was surprised that VAR didn't tell Simon to review it better because honestly with all my respects, Maddison loses his composure and it is a punch in the stomach of Yates.

"It should have been reviewed and a different decision. It is not a shirt (pull) with players that looks like nothing happens, no. No, it's without the ball.

"So, there are two moments we mention (Chris Wood's miss) in the first half that can change the game.

"I didn't ask (Hooper), but I saw it. There is no problem in telling I didn't see it the same way. We didn't agree, me and VAR."

Analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the Champions League quarter-finalists

When the quarter-finals of the Champions League arrive, you know it’s the business end of the season.

Eight teams remain in Europe’s top competition, and the route to the final is now mapped out.

On one side of the draw, the winners of Real Madrid’s gargantuan clash with Manchester City will face the victors of Arsenal’s match-up with Bayern Munich — with both ties already overflowing with narrative from seasons gone by.

On the other side, Paris Saint-Germain’s battle with Barcelona may not appear as mouth-watering as previous years, but the attacking talent on show will mean that the pair are likely to trade blows relentlessly across the two legs.

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid are likely to go all-in on the European stage after relatively disappointing form in their respective domestic campaigns.

This is The Athletic’s definitive guide to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Champions League quarter-finals preview: Analysing each team’s strengths and weaknesses

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Champions League quarter-finals preview: Analysing each team’s strengths and weaknesses

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