Jonas Eidevall explains Arsenal's plan to beat Bayern Munich in Champions League
- Arsenal begin their 2024/25 Champions League campaign
- The Gunners face Bayern Munich in their opening game in Germany
- Eidevall: 'We want to be playing against the best'
Jonas Eidevall has said Arsenal must "exploit" Bayern Munich's weaknesses to be in with a chance of winning their first group game of the 2024/25 Champions League.
The Gunners secured qualification last month after beating Swedish side BK Hacken, seeing them become one of three English teams to secure a spot in the group stage for the first time in its short history, alongside Chelsea and Manchester City.
Fans were left elated at their qualification after last season's shock early exit at the hands of Paris FC.
As well as Bayern, Arsenal must also face Juventus and Valerenga over the course of six games.
"It's really exciting to be playing these games," said Eidevall. "This is what we want to be in the Champions League for. We want to be playing against the best and not watching other teams play these games."
This isn't the first time Arsenal have faced Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The Gunners knocked them out at the quarter-final stage in 2022/23, so are well versed on the challenge here.
"They are really strong in the counter attack," explained Eidevall. "They move with a lot of pace once they are facing forward and that's the part you have to look out for when you are playing against them.
"They are really strong on their set pieces, too - especially with corners and free kicks. They are a well organised team, but so are we. While they have their strengths, they also have their weaknesses and we need to exploit them, while mitigating our own. It's going to be a technical battle."
Arsenal are preparing for the game off the back a hugely disappointing 0-0 draw against Everton in the Barclays Women's Super League over the weekend, for which they've come under fire.
However, Midfielder Lia Walti emphasised the result is not a setback and that, instead, this Bayern encounter now gives them an opportunity to prove they are contenders for silverware.
"When you have disappointing results like that, you just want to bounce back as soon as you can and that's a positive thing about these quick turnarounds," she said.
"We have another chance now and we know the quality of this team. We are really motivated to prove to the fans that we can do better and we are ready."
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