Thomas Muller has revealed his delight at his Bayern Munich side being drawn against Germany teammate Kai Havertz’s Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The Gunners have reached the last eight of the competition for the first time since 2010 and have been handed a rather tough draw upon their return to Europe’s elite club tournament.
Arsenal will welcome Bayern to the Emirates Stadium for the first leg before travelling to the Allianz Arena, while the winners of this tie will meet Manchester City or Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
Taking to social media, Muller posted a video in which he sent a warning to his good friend Havertz.
“And it’s Arsenal!” Muller began. “Kai Havertz, my friend, I am waiting for you.
“No, it’s a nice draw. Two very good teams, two very good stadiums, two very good cities. It will be tough, but I’m always positive. See you, Gunners.”
Our next opponent in the @ChampionsLeague is: @Arsenal 🇬🇧⚽️👍🏼 #UCLdraw #fcbayern #esmuellert pic.twitter.com/9LGZvEir82
— Thomas Müller (@esmuellert_) March 15, 2024
Muller has played Arsenal seven times already in his career, winning four times, losing twice and drawing once.
He grabbed a goal and assist in his first meeting with the Gunners – a 3-1 victory at the Emirates in the Champions League last 16 first leg in 2013 on Bayern’s way to European glory. Muller then played all 90 minutes of the second leg, which Arsenal won 2-0 but saw them eliminated on away goals.
The following season, Bayern and Arsenal were paired together in the last 16 again. Muller this time only played 31 minutes across the 3-1 aggregate victory, but still scored in their 2-0 win in north London.
Arsenal surprised Bayern with a 2-0 triumph at the Emirates during the 2015/16 group stages before Muller played in all of their next three encounters over the next season-and-a-half – all of which ended in 5-1 wins. He scored three of Bayern’s 15 goals across this period.
