Arsenal can put up a fight against Bayern Munich on Wednesday as they bid to reach the Champions League semi-finals. The Gunners are looking to make the most of a strong 2-2 first-leg result after falling behind in the second half at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side felt they were unlucky not to have a chance to win the game late on after Bukayo Saka collided with Manuel Neuer in the Bayern box. Thomas Tuchel then diverted attention to a controversial moment when 35-year-old referee Glenn Nyberg seemingly ignored a handball from Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes.
The game had been seething throughout, but promised to boil over at full-time when Saka was furious at not being awarded a spot-kick. He angrily questioned officials about the decision, while Mikel Arteta was furious on the sidelines.
It had been an entertaining battle before that, however, with Arsenal starting strong before being caught on the counter-attack by a lethal Bayern frontline. Before what promises to be tense in Germany, a new freedom is offered to players – at least for the moment.
Arsenal were walking a tightrope at home, with Declan Rice and Kai Havertz just one yellow card away from suspension. The pair both have a huge role to play in the reverse fixture and were central to Arteta’s tactical plans in north London.
Both also started the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday. Bayern, however, was able to rest and rotate their team. Tuchel was not so lucky when it came to suspensions, however, with Alphonso Davies sent off after picking up an early yellow in the first leg.
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He brought down Saka less than 20 minutes into the match and was targeted by Arsenal players throughout. Ben White and Saka on the right tormented him from the early stages, finding the breakthrough on the same side.
Leon Goretzka also posed a suspension risk for Bayern but managed to avoid a booking. This means everyone except Davies can feature for Bavaria, if they are fit.
The Champions League suspension cutoff point comes every two rounds, with a threshold of three warnings for the group stage and start of the round of 16 combined. Players receive a one-match suspension at three yellows before the semi-final as well as every other odd warning from then on.
The rules explain that “after the completion of two rounds…in which a player has been placed on a club’s list and eligible to play, the number of yellow cards he has received and which does not have not resulted in suspension for repeated warning is reduced by one”. “. This means that after a recent rule change, no Havertz, Rice or Goretzka could miss the semi-finals due to yellow card suspensions.
This was notably not the case in 2012 with Chelsea, when Branislav Ivanovic was excluded from the final after receiving a yellow card in the semi-final at the Camp Nou. Red cards also carry the usual bans, although this is now the only way for players to miss the final.
Unlike last week, where Arsenal had to bear the brunt of possible suspensions of two key players during their clash, there are no such distractions. Now it’s up to Rice and Havertz to use this freedom to their advantage on the field.
