Thomas Müller was forced to watch nervously from the sidelines as Bayern Munich secured a 1-0 quarter-final victory over Arsenal on Wednesday night. Thomas Tuchel’s use of Raphaël Guerreiro on the left flank, along with solid play from Noussair Mazraoui, prevented Bukayo Saka and the Gunners from finding the back of the net.
The move worked and Bayern find themselves in the semi-finals to face Champions League kings Real Madrid. Real Madrid (14) have won twice as many Champions League titles as the number two team of all time, AC Milan. Bayern are tied with Liverpool for third place with six trophies.
According to a report According to Bild, Tuchel publicly guaranteed that Müller would participate in the two-legged semi-final. This makes a lot of sense, given Müller’s unique abilities to create space and be a leader on the pitch. We don’t know if he will start or come off the bench. Either way, Tuchel will need another masterful game plan to defeat Carlo Ancelotti.
Müller continues his own Champions League records. He is just two appearances behind Xavi for fifth all-time. Xavi also played with his entire team for one club, Barcelona. Oddly enough, Müller is currently the leader among active European club players, just one game ahead of fellow German Toni Kroos.