We have already known, for a few weeks already that Thomas Tuchel was out at Bayern Munich; effective end of this season. But things have taken yet another down turn for the Bavarian giants that rumors of an immediate Tuchel sacking abounded.
The narratives grew so strong that club leadership had to actually publicly confirm that Tuchel will still be in the dugout when the Arsenal clash commences on Tuesday night.
Arsenal FC vs Bayern Munich FYIs
Kickoff: Tue. Apr. 9, 8pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Competition: UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal Leg 1/2
Team News: Arsenal FC Bayern Munich
Starting XI Prediction: Arsenal FC Bayern Munich
90 Min Result Probability: Arsenal FC 55% Extra Time 22% Bayern Munich 23%
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
It’s easy to understand why, as Munich are about to hand over their Bundesliga title, with well over a month left in the season. Tuchel has already conceded the title race to Bayer Leverkusen, and it won’t be long until that is official.
Meanwhile Bayern just lost to Heidenheim, a club that is in the German top flight for the first time in 24 years, so there is that too.
Bayern Munich Team News
Manuel Neuer and Leroy Sane (both groin), Kingsley Coman (thigh), Noussair Mazraoui and Aleksandar Pavlovic (both illness) all missed out on the weekend, and Tuchel has already pre-emptively admitted that all of the players on that list could miss out again, when the midweek continental clash rolls around.
Plus, beyond all that, you still have the quartet of long-term injury absentees in Bouna Sarr and Gabriel Marusic (both ACLs), Tarek Buchmann (hamstring), Sacha Boey (hip) and Noel Aseko (ankle).
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.