Ismaël Saibari starts in Bayern Munich’s midfield for the visit of Arsenal this Wednesday at the Allianz Arena. Coach Vincent Kompany has reshuffled his attack around the Moroccan, without Kimmich or Olise.
According to the official line-ups relayed by Foot Africa, the Moroccan attacking midfielder is in Bayern Munich’s starting XI for the visit of Arsenal this Wednesday, 21 October 2026 at 21:00 at the Allianz Arena, on matchday 3 of the Champions League league phase.
Vincent Kompany’s choice is explained by absences. Joshua Kimmich, bereaved by the loss of a close family member, will not feature, according to FC Bayern Munich. Michael Olise, suspended, is also absent: the attack is reorganised around Saibari, Harry Kane, Bischof and Gnabry, according to Foot Africa.
A place to take in midfield
In a Bayern side deprived of Kimmich, Saibari is thrown in from the start in a prestige match, with the responsibility of shaping the Bavarian midfield against Arsenal.
Behind him, the centre-back pair of Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae will have to contain the English attacks, with Manuel Neuer in goal, according to the line-ups released by Foot Africa.
Arsenal arrive with a perfect record
At the other end, Arsenal come into this clash with 6 points in the Champions League, earned through convincing wins over Napoli and Lille. Above all, the Gunners are on a record run of 14 consecutive victories in the Champions League league phase. Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal coach, has named the attacking trio of Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz, supported by Declan Rice and Bruno Guimarães.
For their part, Bayern have 4 points, earned through a win against Bodø/Glimt and a draw against Viking FK. The Bavarians are therefore behind their opponents of the evening in the standings.
An immediate points challenge
A win would allow the Bavarian club to move ahead of their opponents of the evening in the overall European standings, according to Foot Africa. The stakes are therefore immediate for Bayern, who host an opponent with a perfect record.
Kick-off is set for 21:00, and the match should finish around 22:50 according to the day’s schedule. Arsenal will then face Slavia Prague on 4 November 2026, on matchday 4 of the competition.