Arsenal's Champions League opponents suffer major injury blow ahead of quarter final

Arsenal have been given some encouraging news ahead of their Champions League quarter final tie with Bayern Munich on April 9. Die Roten's superstar goalkeeper and team captain, Manuel Neuer, has been ruled out of action with an adductor injury for an indeterminate period of time.

He suffered the injury while on international duty with Germany and has returned to Bayern for treatment. It is a bitter blow to the Bavarians, but could prove to be just the boost that Arsenal need in Europe.

A statement on Bayern Munich's official website reads: "Manuel Neuer has torn a muscle in his left adductor while training with the German national team. The diagnosis was confirmed by the DFB medical unit. The FC Bayern captain will therefore miss the upcoming friendlies against France and the Netherlands and return to Munich."

How could this affect Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter final against Arsenal?

While Neuer is Bayern's first-choice goalkeeper and one of the greatest shot-stoppers of all time, they have three other 'keepers in their senior squad who they can call upon - Daniel Peretz, Sven Ulreich and Tom Hulsmann. Of these three, Ulreich is highest on the totem pole - he has featured in eight Bundesliga and three Champions League games this season. The other two, meanwhile, have not played in Germany's top division in 2023/24.

Ulreich has proven to be a decent deputy when he has been called upon. Despite being 35 years of age, he is still capable of performing adequately in Neuer's absence - from the eight Bundesliga games he has played in this season, he has managed to keep three clean sheets in total.

It is currently unclear how long Neuer will be out of action for. If his injury is a minor one, he could be fit to play in the second leg of the tie - as things stand, this remains to be seen.