Bayern set to be without Olise and Musiala for Arsenal clash
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Arsenal's trip to the Allianz Arena next week is shaping up to be even more favourable than expected, with Bayern Munich facing the prospect of missing two key attacking players for the Champions League league phase meeting.
Mikel Arteta's side travel to Germany on Wednesday off the back of this weekend's Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest, looking to make it three wins from three in this season's Champions League league phase after victories over Napoli and Lille.
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Bayern have already confirmed they will be without Michael Olise for the fixture. The France international was sent off in Bayern's 3-3 draw with Viking, booked for a cynical pull of a shirt before immediately picking up a second yellow for throwing the ball in the face of an opponent. Vincent Kompany did not hold back when asked about the dismissal.
"It was our own fault," Kompany said. "This red card was super dumb... you can see in his eyes that he's sorry about it and that he regrets letting the team down."
Olise will serve a one match ban as a result, ruling him out of facing Arsenal regardless of Bayern's result against RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga this weekend.
Neuer and Musiala doubts emerge
According to German publication BILD, both Manuel Neuer and Jamal Musiala were absent from Bayern training on Friday as the club prepared for their Bundesliga showdown with Leipzig.
Sky Sport in Germany has since confirmed that Neuer will miss the Leipzig fixture due to an ongoing foot problem, though he is expected to be back in goal by the time Arsenal visit on 21 October.
Musiala's situation looks more serious. The attacking midfielder has not featured since withdrawing from international duty with Germany last month, having sustained a torn muscle fibre in his right thigh while warming up for the Nations League clash against the Netherlands.
Unless Musiala returns to training in the coming days, he appears to be losing his race to be fit in time to face Arsenal, a significant blow for Bayern given his importance to Kompany's side in recent seasons.
What it means for Arsenal
With Olise suspended and Musiala facing a battle for fitness, Arsenal could be heading to Munich with two of Bayern's most dangerous attacking threats unavailable. Neuer's potential return in goal would at least restore some stability for the hosts between the posts.
Arteta's side head into the fixture unbeaten in Europe this season and will be eager to maintain that record against one of the competition's traditional heavyweights. Confirmation on Musiala's fitness is expected to come in the build up to Wednesday's match.
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