Why there are no Bayern Munich fans at the Emirates for Champions League clash with Arsenal

Arsenal will hold a significant edge as they face Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday. The first leg of the last-eight tie will take place at the Emirates Stadium, giving Mikel Arteta’s team a home advantage.

Meanwhile, Manchester City, who are vying for the Premier League title and are the reigning champions of Europe, will play Real Madrid in Spain.

On Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain will host Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund after their dramatic victory over Inter Milan last month.

Arsenal’s last appearance in the Champions League quarter-finals dates back to 2010, and they face a challenging task ahead, despite Bayern’s recent struggles in the Bundesliga.

Nevertheless, Arteta recognizes the significant opportunity his team has to capitalize on home-field advantage in the first leg before traveling to Germany for the return fixture next week.

UEFA’s decision to ban away supporters from attending the first leg in London stems from a recent incident during Bayern’s 3-1 victory against Lazio, where a small group of Bayern supporters threw fireworks onto the pitch. This action violated UEFA regulations and resulted in the imposition of sanctions.

This isn’t the first time Bayern’s supporters have been involved in such incidents. In October 2023, Bayern faced a €40,000 fine after their fans set off fireworks during a match against FC Copenhagen. The recurrence of similar misconduct during the Lazio match led to UEFA’s decision to impose the ban.

Bayern, acknowledging their breach of probationary terms, opted not to contest UEFA’s ruling, accepting the consequences of their supporters’ actions.

“We have to accept this punishment. Not only were pyrotechnics set off, but also fired deliberately on to the field, directly endangering bystanders,” Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said.

“This was such an explicit violation of the conditions of probation that an appeal is unfortunately futile.”

He added: “In general we’re very happy that we’re in the quarter-finals, but the fact we now have to play away without the support of our fans is a big blow.

“A small group of individual offenders have done a disservice to all our supporters and the team. However, I am confident that our team will find a way to deliver the top performance that will be needed in the quarter-finals.”

Arsenal will be filling the away end at the Emirates Stadium with home supporters for the first leg, creating an electric atmosphere as they take on Bayern Munich. The second leg will see Arsenal travel to Munich on Wednesday, April 17, for what promises to be an exciting showdown.

Should Arsenal triumph over Bayern, they will advance to the semi-finals, where they will face either Real Madrid or Manchester City. The prospect of such high-stakes matches has fans eagerly anticipating the outcome.

For those unable to attend in person, tonight’s game can be watched on Discovery+ by signing up for a free trial of Amazon Prime, ensuring fans don’t miss a moment of the action.