Thomas Muller is looking forward to Bayern Munich’s Champions League tie against Arsenal and potentially reuniting with Kai Havertz.
The Gunners made it to the last eight of Europe’s top club competition for the first time in 14 years on Tuesday after a tense penalty shootout win over Porto.
Bayern had a more straightforward path to the last eight, but they had to overturn a first leg deficit to beat Lazio on aggregate.
Muller was part of the Bayern side that beat Arsenal 10-2 over two legs in 2017, but he expects a much tougher match this time around.
‘It’s Arsenal,’ said the experienced forward on X. ‘Kai Havertz my friend, I am looking forward to facing you.
‘It’s a good draw, two very good teams, two very good cities, two very good stadiums. It will be tough but I’m always positive. See you Gunners!’
He later added: ‘Arsenal is a team that will provide us with two exciting games. They are currently in good form and have good momentum. It will be tough. But with the second leg in Munich, we have a good chance of progressing.
Unlike Bayern, who are 10 points behind the Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal are currently at the top of the table in England, and Muller’s teammate Manuel Neuer expressed similar feelings.
He said: ‘Arsenal is a very strong team, they have a great spirit. It’s no surprise that they are currently at the top of the Premier League.
‘It will be two tough games and we have to give it our all to progress. It will be an exciting match, we are looking forward to it and are happy that we can play these games.’
The away leg will be a return to north London for two former Tottenham players, Eric Dier and Harry Kane.
‘For me, it is special to return to England for a game so soon after joining FC Bayern – and then to North London of all places,’ said Dier, who joined his current club on loan in January.
‘It is a great opportunity for us to show our quality at the highest level. Arsenal has a young team that is performing very well.’
