Bayern Munich v Arsenal LIVE: Kane sets up superb Bayern equaliser after Saka injury blow

Bayern Munich host Arsenal in a Champions League blockbuster and an early meeting of two sides who will be looking to go all the way in Europe this season.

The Gunners suffered heartbreak against Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s final but made a step further than the German champions, who were knocked out by the eventual winners in an epic semi-final.

Arsenal managed just one shot on target in their 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday with the Premier League champions coming under some criticism for the style of their attack under Mikel Arteta this season.

But Arsenal are yet to concede a goal in the Champions League this term and will put their formidable defence up against Bayern’s free-scoring attack. Harry Kane will look to add to his 15 career goals against Arsenal, although Michael Olise is suspended.

Follow the latest updates from Bayern Munich v Arsenal, below

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Bayern Munich v Arsenal LIVE: Latest Champions League updates

• Bayern Munich host Arsenal in clash of Champions League contenders | Live on TNT Sports and HBO Max
• 35' GOAL! Superb Kane assist puts it on a plate for Davies to level [BAY 1-1 ARS]
• 25' GOAL! Substitute Eze fires Gunners in front after VAR check [BAY 0-1 ARS]
• 10' INJURY! Saka forced off with thigh issue [BAY 0-0 ARS]
• Bayern XI: Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Min-Jae, Stanisic; Pavlovic, Bischof; Gnabry, Saibari, Davies; Kane
• Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Guimaraes, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Madueke; Havertz

Bayern 1-1 Arsenal

20:38 , Alan Smith

38’ - Laimer trips Eze, who has been really good, performing like a man with a point to prove.

Quarterback magic

20:37 , Richard Jolly in Munich

Two great quarterback's passes for the goals, first from Odegaard and then from Kane

GOAL! Bayern 1-1 Arsenal (Davies 35)

20:36 , Alan Smith

Just as we said... it’s a remarkable, brilliant bit of play from Kane as he sends a low throw ball that curves behind Timber and into Davies’ path. His finish is sweet, tucked into the bottom right corner, but the Kane pass is what will be admired most.

Bayern 0-1 Arsenal

20:33 , Alan Smith

33’ - Bayern, without Diaz and Olise, are proving one-paced in attack and Arsenal look very, very comfortable.

Bayern 0-1 Arsenal

20:30 , Alan Smith

30’ - Another big chance for Arsenal from a deep Odegaard corner. This one is met by Guimaraes but he is unable to direct a great opportunity on target, shinning the ball over.

Eze's turnaround

20:27 , Richard Jolly in Munich

Remarkable few days for Eze, taken off at half-time at Forest, dropped and now scoring a fine goal against Bayern

GOAL! Bayern 0-1 Arsenal (Eze 25)

20:26 , Alan Smith

And it’s given. The sub has Arsenal in front having kept a whisker onside. He shows great composure to finish after Odegaard’s pass teed him up.

Bayern 0-0 Arsenal

20:25 , Alan Smith

25’ - Eze thinks he has Arsenal in front with a first-time finish on his right after springing past Bayern’s high line. The offside flag is immediately up ... but VAR is having a look and Stanisic is close to playing him on.

Bayern 0-0 Arsenal

20:23 , Alan Smith

23’ - Kane finds Saibari with a delicious diagonal pass over the top but the latter can’t control cleanly when in a great position.

Bayern 0-0 Arsenal

20:21 , Alan Smith

21’ - Bayern then go up the other end, Gnabry purchases some space on the right and gets a nice, low shot away. Raya makes a decent save. A sense of liveliness at last.

Bayern 0-0 Arsenal

20:21 , Alan Smith

20’ - Timber earns a corner via Stanisic, who is busy with Arsenal targeting their right flank. Odegaard’s inswinger evades Neuer’s reach but Calafiori smashes offside from the back stick.

Bayern 0-0 Arsenal

20:18 , Alan Smith

17’ - It’s been tepid enough so far but Davies injects some pace into proceedings, shifting into the box from the left before Gabriel does well to shepherd him out of play.

Front three questions

20:17 , Richard Jolly in Munich

A front three of Madueke, Havertz and Eze does not really sound Champions League-winning. That is what Arsenal have now Saka is off. Though with Diaz benched and Olise suspended Bayern have less stardust in their forward line tonight

Bayern 0-0 Arsenal

20:14 , Alan Smith

13’ - Havertz is the first caution of the evening for planting the studs of his left boot on Stanisic’s shin. It’s the clearest yellow you’ll ever see.

Bayern 0-0 Arsenal

20:12 , Alan Smith

10’ - Eze is on for Saka and it looks rather clear that the England star will be spending a little time on the sidelines following that injury.

Bayern 0-0 Arsenal

20:08 , Alan Smith

8’ - Saka goes down after mishitting a pass with his left foot. He looks in a lot of pain and is singalling to the bench.

Bayern 0-0 Arsenal

20:07 , Alan Smith

5’ - A steady start, unsurprisingly. Arsenal are enjoying a good spell of possession, though Bayern’s press is far from ferocious.

Bayern 0-0 Arsenal

20:03 , Richard Jolly in Munich

There are at least two Champions League-winning managers here tonight. Rafa Benitez and Jurgen Klopp have been in conversation.

KICK-OFF! Bayern 0-0 Arsenal

20:00 , Alan Smith

And we’re underway in Bavaria. Arsenal play in their navy and yellow away strip, kicking left to right as we view. Bayern are in red.

Tonight's referee...

19:59 , Alan Smith

is the familiar Italian Davide Massa.

Closing in on kick-off

19:56 , Will Castle

Not long to go until we get underway at the Allianz. Will it be Arsenal’s night at a ground they’ve suffered so much at over the years, or can Bayern keep up their impressive record against the Gunners?

All the action, coming up next!

Getting warm

19:52 , Will Castle

Head-to-head

19:46 , Will Castle

Arsenal fans do not have good memories of the Allianz Arena, or Bayern Munich for that matter.

While their most recent meeting ended in a 3-1 victory during last season’s league-phase game at the Emirates, they had only won once in 12 years before that - infamously losing three of their more recent clashes 5-1, two of which came across two nightmarish last-16 legs.

The Gunners haven’t won at the Emirates since March 2013, which saw them emerge 2-0 victors through goals from French duo Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny.

Can they conjure up something similar tonight?

Arsenal’s eye-gougingly dull win over Nottingham Forest exposes a worrying trend

19:40 , Will Castle

After Arsenal ground out three points at the City Ground, Lawrence Ostlere highlights a big concern with the reigning Premier League champions’ underlying performance...

Ten wins out of 11 games. It was a statistic Mikel Arteta stressed twice in his six-minute post-match press conference after Arsenal’s eye-gougingly dull 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, like a man who’d been rehearsing lines in the mirror.

He is right, of course, although if we’re being picky, one of those was the Community Shield, which isn’t a real competition, and another was the Carabao Cup. One game was on the first day of the season at home to newly promoted Coventry, and of the remaining eight games – one of which was that chastening 3-0 defeat at Brighton – it is hard to pick one in which Arteta’s team were truly impressive.

Arsenal have now failed to score a first-half goal in their past six games, and this was the worst 45 minutes in the streak. They dominated the ball with 74 per cent possession but that is not the same as dominating the game, and by half-time Forest had mustered five shots while Arsenal had attempted only three, with none on target.

Arsenal’s eye-gougingly dull win exposes a worrying trend

Madueke earns his start

19:34 , Richard Jolly at Allianz Arena

Noni Madueke's winner at Nottingham Forest earns him a start in the Allianz Arena. Or maybe scoring in a win against Bayern last season does. Either way, he comes in to the Arsenal team. For Bayern, Manuel Neuer is passed fit to play for a side without Joshua Kimmich. The expectation is that manager Vincent Kompany will be here, though I haven't spotted him yet.

Arteta: I haven't got over Champions League final failure

19:28 , Will Castle

Mikel Arteta says the lingering heartbreak of Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat continues to drive his ambition for success in Europe, while firmly dismissing claims that his side have become "boring".

When asked if he had put the agonising defeat to PSG behind him, Arteta admitted: "I tried, but I haven’t managed to.

"I tried for many weeks during the summer, but when I see the ball, the scenes, I hear the music, I want it so badly.

"We know that we have to go step by step, but I think that fire is within the team and all of us individually. We know what we had to go through – not being champions of Europe by a penalty. So, let’s try again."

Arteta admits he has not moved on from Arsenal's Champions League final heartbreak

Champions League power rankings

19:22 , Will Castle

Where do Arsenal and Bayern Munich sit in the Champions League power rankings coming into this week’s set of European fixtures?

Jamie Braidwood rates every team:

Champions League power rankings: Every team ranked before PSG and Barcelona clash

Kompany is in the building

19:16 , Will Castle

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany was doubtful for tonight’s Champions League visit of Arsenal due to a battle with a viral infection affecting his legs.

Assistant coach Aaron Danks said on Tuesday that Kompany might need three more days to recover after the former Manchester City star spent the day at home. The virus reportedly left him needing help to climb stairs.

However, he is at the Allianz Arena tonight and appears to have recovered to take his place in the dugout.

Meanwhile, in Como...

19:04 , Will Castle

Arsenal will be hoping they don’t fall to the same fate as their Premier League rivals this evening, because Manchester United are enduring another NIGHTMARE outing.

Nico Paz has just scored again for Como to make it 3-0 by the Lake. Could this be it for Michael Carrick?

Neuer back but Diaz drops to bench

18:59 , Will Castle

A fair few changes to note for Bayern following their 6-1 thrashing of RB Leipzig.

Veteran stopper Manuel Neuer is back between the sticks following a foot injury while Alphonso Davies and Josip Stanisic come into the fold in the full-back positions, with Konrad Laimer seemingly moving into midfield.

Joshua Kimmich’s absence due to a family bereavement means Tom Bischof starts, while Serge Gnabry is in the team against his former club with Michael Olise suspended.

The biggest eyebrow-raiser is Luis Diaz’s absence. He scored a hat-trick against Leipzig but starts on the bench.

Harry Kane, obviously, leads the line.

Arteta makes two changes

18:55 , Will Castle

Just the two changes from the Arsenal side that beat Nottingham Forest on the weekend.

Jurrien Timber starts in place of Ben White, while Noni Madueke is rewarded with a start as Eberechi Eze drops out.

Kai Havertz keeps his place ahead of Viktor Gyokeres.

Bayern team news

18:49 , Will Castle

Bayern XI: Neuer; Stanisic, Upamecano, Min-Jae, Davies; Laimer, Pavlovic, Bischof; Gnabry, Kane, Saibari.

✨ 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗫𝗜 𝓿𝓼. 𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗔𝗟 ✨ pic.twitter.com/Te24TH7J5N

— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) October 21, 2026

Arsenal team news

18:47 , Will Castle

Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Guimaraes, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Madueke; Havertz.

🔵 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🟡

Two changes for tonight’s test ✊

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 21, 2026

Team news imminent

18:44 , Luke Baker

Right, we should be getting team news for both sides this evening imminently. Will Madueke start for Arsenal? Lewis-Skelly over Guimaraes? Gyokeres or Havertz up top? Plenty to be answered

Bayern v Arsenal

18:37 , Luke Baker

It’s a bit wet in Munich this evening but it should still be a cracking match

The contrasting goalscoring fortunes of Bayern and Arsenal

18:28 , Luke Baker

The amount of firepower on display between the two teams is pretty notable.

Last season, Bayern scored a record 122 Bundesliga goals, bettered only by the Torino team of 1947-48 in a top-five European league. It was 51 more than Arsenal scored in winning the Premier League.

In all competitions, Bayern scored 184 goals, Harry Kane got 61 himself, while Michael Olise got 22 goals and 28 assists.

Bayern already have 36 goals this season and scored six in their last match (against Leipzig), while Arsenal have six in their last four... Will that be key tonight?

Early Bayern team news

18:18 , Luke Baker

Arsenal will be relieved that they don’t have to face Michael Olise, who is suspended after receiving a silly sending off against Viking last week, while Joshua Kimmich will miss the game due to bereavement following a death in his immediate family.

Jamal Musiala is out with a thigh injury, while even manager Vincent Kompany is a doubt after missing Tuesday’s press conference with a virus, as assistant coach Aaron Danks suggested they would “take it day by day”.

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer missed the weekend's thumping of Leipzig with a foot injury but he was back in training on Tuesday ahead of an expected return against Arsenal.

Predicted Bayern XI: Neuer; Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Davies; Pavlovic, Bischof; Karl, Saibari, Diaz; Kane

Early Arsenal team news

18:11 , Luke Baker

Noni Madueke is pushing to start after coming off the bench to replace the ineffective Eberechi Eze on the left flank against Nottingham Forest at the weekend and scoring the winner. Christos Tzolis’ continued injury absence means Mikel Arteta is looking for alternatives in that position.

Jurrien Timber is likely to come in at right-back for Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly may well start in midfield ahead of Bruno Guimaraes, although wholesale changes aren’t expected.

Martin Zubimendi is available again after a minor hamstring issue although Piero Hincapie’s ankle injury keeps him sidelined, while Arteta faces a decision between Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres - who has started both Champions League matches so far - up top.

Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Odegaard, Madueke; Havertz

How to watch Bayern v Arsenal

18:07 , Luke Baker

Bayern Munich host Arsenal at the Allianz Arena this evening, with kick-off at 8pm BST.

Viewers in the UK can watch live on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max.

The major flaw in Arsenal’s Champions League blueprint and how Bayern can expose it

18:01 , Luke Baker

The purists against the puritans? The cavaliers against the cautious? It could seem so.

Bayern Munich and Arsenal share a status as champions of their country and an ambition to be champions of Europe. Their managers were two of Pep Guardiola’s lieutenants, as his captain and assistant respectively at Manchester City. Some may say they learnt different lessons.

Arsenal go to the Allianz Arena after a win at Nottingham Forest in which they had a lone shot on target. Bayern had 17 in their weekend win over RB Leipzig and, while it is both lazy and easy to dismiss their domestic opposition as relative minnows, the reality is they walloped the team who finished third in the Bundesliga last year. Bayern have six goals in their last match, Arsenal six in their last four.

Richard Jolly details the differences between the sides and the flaw in Arsenal’s European plan:

The major flaw in Arsenal’s Champions League blueprint and how Bayern can expose it

Bayern v Arsenal

17:59 , Luke Baker

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Arsenal’s trip to Munich to face Bayern.

Two Champions League heavyweights, who will have designs on lifting the trophy next June, clash in the group phase looking to lay down an early marker.

Harry Kane will face his old rivals, looking to add to his 15 career goals against Arsenal. Stick with us for full live coverage