Can the Bayern women make it through to the semi-finals of the top flight?
The second leg of the Women’s Champions League between FC Arsenal and FC Bayern München will take place on Wednesday. The first leg between the two teams went 1-0 to the representatives from Germany, so the chances of advancing are quite good, at least on paper.
However, the English were slightly better, so everything is still open in match number two. For this reason, the bookmakers’ odds are quite close between Arsenal and Bayern Damen.
The home record of the women from England is quite impressive, as Arsenal FC have only lost one match at home. Jonas Eidevall’s side have won 14 and drawn three at home.
Arsenal’s form in recent weeks has been mixed, as they have lost important matches against Manchester City, Chelsea FC and Bayern Munich. Thus, there have been three defeats in the past seven games for the Gunners.
The away record of the visitors is also very strong, as FC Bayern München lost only two of 14 away matches. The two defeats were against FC Barcelona and VfL Wolfsburg.
The visiting team is in a captivating form and stands at 14 wins in a row. In the entire season, the FCB ladies have only lost seven points and are therefore also one of the favourites for the CL title. Therefore, the odds between Arsenal and Bayern Ladies also point to a progression of the guests.
We recommend a draw between Arsenal and Bayern Ladies. The hosts should go into the second leg with confidence after a good first leg. In front of their home crowd, the Gunners should be able to keep the game exciting.
On balance, however, we see the visitors ahead and can therefore very well imagine that this match will end in a draw and the German record champions will enter the semi-finals of the top division.
Arsenal – Statistics & current form
Arsenal FC prevailed in Group C of the Champions League, leaving FC Zurich, Juventus Turin and Olympique Lyon behind. Jonas Eidevall’s team took 13 points from six games, losing only one.
The defeat came on matchday five against OL and that only because of an own goal. After the 1-0 defeat in the first leg, the Gunners now have their backs against the wall and must win at home. Even a draw will see the English side knocked out of the top flight.
The Super League
The highest English league for women is not called the Premier League, as it is in the men’s game, but the Super League. Arsenal are currently in fourth place in the Super League, but have one game less than the two teams from Manchester.
So the Gunners are fighting for the title, because Manchester United in first place have only three points more on their account. Favourites for the championship are reigning champions Chelsea, who collected one more point than Arsenal FC at the end of pre-season.
The European champion is missing
Bethany Jane Mead was by far the best player in the tournament at the European Championships and was also top scorer. She scored six goals in six games for England and set up four others.
She thus laid the foundation for winning the European Championship and even came second in the Ballon D’or awards. Since mid-November, however, the attacker has been missing from Arsenal FC, as a cruciate ligament rupture will keep the England player off the pitch for a few more months.
Australian Power
Caitlin Foord is the most dangerous player in Jonas Eidevall’s team with eight goals and eight assists across the competition. The Australian plays on the right wing and has similar strengths to Bethany Mead. Both are quite fast, good on the ball and very agile.
The attacker made the leap to the first English league in 2020 when she moved to London from Sydney FC. At that time Foord was already 25 years old, was loaned out several times in Sydney and thus established herself relatively late.
Predicted Arsenal line-up:
Zinsberger – Wienrother, Williamson, Rafaelle, Maritz – McCabe, Little, Wäiti – Foord, Blackstenius, Maanum
Injured and suspended Arsenal players:
No information available.
Last matches played by Arsenal:
WSL
25/03/2023 – Tottenham Hotspur Women 1 – 5 Arsenal London
Women’s Champions League Final
22/03/2023 – Bayern Munich 1 – 0 Arsenal London
WSL
13/03/2023 – Arsenal London 4 – 0 Reading FC Women
09/03/2023 – Arsenal London 2 – 0 Liverpool FC Women
Women’s League Cup Final
05/03/2023 – Arsenal London 3 – 1 Chelsea FC Women
Bayern Women – Statistics & current form
FC Bayern München prevailed in Group D of the Champions League together with FC Barcelona. Alexander Straus’ side picked up 15 points from six games to finish second at the end of the group stage, ahead of Benfica Lisbon and Rosengard.
In the end, the goals scored in the duels between Bayern and Barcelona decided the group victory – result 4:3 for Barca. This makes the visitors one of the favourites in the top flight and they should carry the victory from the first leg over the finishing line.
On course for the Bundesliga title
Last weekend, FC Bayern München secured the top spot in the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg. The Red and Whites now have 43 points from 16 games and have only lost five points. However, the lead over the Wolves is only one point and therefore it remains exciting.
In the pre-season, Bayern were somewhat surprisingly only runners-up and now want to reclaim their dominance of German football. But it won’t be easy, because the Green-Whites are also one of the best teams in Europe.
Germany’s top scorer
Lea Schüller is the top scorer in the FC Bayern Munich team with eleven goals and three assists across the competition. The 25-year-old striker has already been under contract with the German record champions since the summer of 2020 after attracting attention at SGS Essen.
The attacker also scored the winning goal in the first leg against FC Arsenal, paving the way for a possible place in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Bayern’s great talent
Klara Bühl is only 22 years old and is already one of the best players in Alexander Straus’ squad. In the current season, the attacker has scored seven goals and set up five. This makes her the second best scorer in the FCB team behind Lea Schüller.
She played her second major tournament at the European Championship in the summer of 2022, after also appearing at the 2019 World Cup. At that time, she was only 18 years old.
Predicted line-up of Bayern Damen:
Grohs – Rall, Viggosdottir, Kumagai, Hansen – Zadrazil, Stanway, Lohmann, Magull, Bühl – Schüller.
Injured and suspended Bayern Damen players:
No information available.
Last matches played by Bayern Damen:
Women’s Bundesliga
25/03/2023 – Bayern Munich 1 – 0 VfL Wolfsburg
Women’s Champions League Final
22/03/2023 – Bayern Munich 1 – 0 Arsenal London
Women’s Bundesliga
18/03/2023 – 1. FC Köln 0 – 5 Bayern Munich
11/03/2023 – Bayern Munich 4 – 0 MSV Duisburg
05/03/2023 – Werder Bremen 0 – 2 Bayern Munich
Arsenal – Bayern Women Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
The direct comparison between the two teams goes to the visitors. The ladies of FC Bayern München have won all three duels against FC Arsenal so far. Nevertheless, the Gunners should not be underestimated, because two of the three matches were only friendlies.
Since the first leg was very even overall, our prediction between Arsenal and Bayern Ladies does not go in the direction of a win bet. We see much more value in a goal bet and expect an exciting match on equal terms.
Arsenal – Bayern Ladies Tip
We play the tip “both teams score – yes” between Arsenal and Bayern Damen. The English women played a good game in the first leg, but were not determined enough in front of goal.
That should change with their own fans behind them and we think a goal from the Gunners is very likely. On the other hand, the visitors are much more experienced, have a deeper squad and more individual quality. Therefore, the visiting team should also be able to crack the opponent’s defence at least once.
