Arsenal Aim to Rekindle Champions League Dream Against Bayern Munich
Arsenal are attempting to turn the disappointment of last season’s Champions League final into a renewed European push, with Mikel Arteta’s Premier League winners facing Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.
Key takeaways
- Arsenal won the 2025-26 Premier League, securing their first English top-flight title since the unbeaten 2003-04 campaign.
- The Gunners lost last season’s Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
- Former Arsenal defender Gilles Grimandi ranks PSG ahead of Arsenal among the leading European contenders, with Barcelona behind both.
- The 2027 Champions League final will be staged at Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano.
- Arsenal will meet Everton in the Premier League and Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup after their trip to Bayern.
European ambition after Budapest heartbreak
Domestic success returned to north London in 2025-26 as Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for a league championship, but their continental breakthrough remains unfinished. PSG retained the Champions League after prevailing in a shootout in Hungary, leaving Arsenal to reflect on a final in which the trophy was within reach.
That defeat has added further weight to Arsenal’s ambition to win the competition for the first time. Grimandi believes they belong among the principal challengers, although he places the reigning champions slightly in front.
“Paris are first, then Arsenal just below them, and then Barcelona,” Grimandi said. “Barcelona have outstanding attacking talent, particularly Lamine Yamal, but I do not think they are as strong defensively as Paris or Arsenal.”
He pointed to PSG’s confidence and experience in the latter stages of the competition, but insisted Arsenal showed in Budapest that they could have beaten them. “People criticised how Arsenal approached the final, yet Paris were very close to losing,” he said. “If they meet again in Madrid, it could be different.”
The prospect of a return to a Champions League final would take Arsenal to the Spanish capital in 2027, when the Estadio Metropolitano hosts the showpiece. The club have never lifted Europe’s leading club prize, and Grimandi feels that history makes it a particularly significant target following last season’s near miss.
Arteta balancing three competitions
Grimandi said his priorities would have differed a year ago, before Arsenal had reclaimed the league title. Now, he believes a Champions League win would carry exceptional importance for a squad affected by the final defeat.
“When you reach a final, you have the chance to win it, even against a very strong Paris side,” he said. “For Arsenal, this competition is special because the club have never won it. It is the highest level of football.”
He suggested the Champions League could be a greater focus for Arteta this season than the title race, while stressing that Arsenal have the quality to compete for both trophies. The difficulty will be managing a demanding schedule across domestic and European competition.
The next test comes in Germany against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, led by England’s record-breaking striker Harry Kane. Arsenal then return to Emirates Stadium for a Premier League fixture with Everton before taking on League Two side Fleetwood Town in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
