The reigning Premier League and Bundesliga champions will go head-to-head when Bayern Munich host Arsenal in the Champions League.
Arsenal reached the final of this competition last season before losing to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties, while Bayern Munich were knocked out by the Ligue 1 side in the semi-finals.
We’ve merged the best players from both sides to create a combined XI. Note: any players who are unavailable for this game have still been included.
While Manuel Neuer will go down as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he celebrated his 40th birthday earlier this year and is no longer operating at the peak of his powers.
Bayern Munich identified Raya as a long-term replacement for the Germany international back in the summer of 2023, but Arsenal won the race for his signature.
He’s since won three consecutive Premier League Golden Glove awards and was recently named in the Champions League Team of the Season, having kept nine clean sheets in 14 appearances in the competition in 2025-26.
“I think he is still underestimated in the world of football, but for me, the last two seasons, [Raya is] the best keeper in the world,” Kai Havertz said.
A midfielder by trade, Konrad Laimer has proven himself to be a solid, if unspectacular, right-back for Bayern Munich.
But the Austria international doesn’t get in this team ahead of Timber, who is one of the best one-on-one defenders in world football.
He also provides more of an attacking threat than his Bayern Munich counterpart and scored the opening goal when these two sides met at the Emirates last season.
Saliba has spent the last few months recovering from a back injury that was aggravated during the World Cup and is yet to play for Arsenal this season.
But when fully fit, the 25-year-old would undoubtedly walk into any current combined XI.
He has gone from strength to strength since returning from a loan spell at Marseille in the summer of 2022, and the Gunners will be counting down the days until he is back on the pitch.
Saliba would be best placed to pick the second centre-back for this team, having played alongside Gabriel at club level and Dayot Upamecano at international level.
Both centre-back partnerships are formidable, but Gabriel comes out on top here as the Arsenal pair complement one another perfectly. And both are among the best defenders in world football.
The Brazil international is renowned for his full-blooded style of defending and a willingness to put his body on the line, while also proving a goal threat in the opposition box.
Even with Bayern Munich signing Nathaniel Brown for €55million in the summer, Arsenal still lay claim to the left-back spot in this XI.
Calafiori made a seamless transition from centre-back to left-back following his move to Arsenal in the summer of 2024 and is widely considered to be one of the best in the world in his position.
The Italy international came off the bench in their 3-1 win over Bayern Munich last season and registered an assist with his very first touch.
Amazingly, it has taken us six positions to finally get a Bayern Munich player into a combined XI.
Kimmich would operate as the deep-lying midfielder in this team, and he edged out the likes of Martin Zubimendi and Bruno Guimaraes due to his vast experience at the top level.
The 31-year-old is now in his 12th season at Bayern and has played an integral role in their success, winning 10 Bundesliga titles, four DFB-Pokal titles, a Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
Rice reportedly spoke with then-Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel in the summer of 2023, but the Bundesliga side were not willing to pay West Ham United’s asking price.
Arsenal stepped in and paid a club-record £105million fee, and while that initially raised a few eyebrows, nobody is arguing about his valuation anymore.
The England international has become Arsenal’s driving force in the middle of the park, with his relentless running, tireless tackling and pinpoint set pieces.
He was named in the Champions League Team of the Season in 2025 and 2026, while also picking up the Arsenal Player of the Year award in both campaigns.
The right-wing was one of the most hotly contested spots in this combined XI, with Saka and Michael Olise both vying for it.
Olise is currently the better player if we put all biases to one side, but his versatility allows us to get creative and fit both of them into the same team.
Saka struggled with injury problems and saw his output dip during a difficult 2025-26 season, although a hat-trick in the World Cup third-place play-off against France was a reminder of his talent.
The 25-year-old winger has also made a strong start to the 2026-27 campaign, and that is enough to warrant his place in this side.
The aforementioned Olise primarily plays on the right wing for Bayern Munich, but has also operated as a No.10 at both club and international level.
He takes that role in our combined XI, as this generation’s prominent Joga Bonito footballer, forcing both Martin Odegaard and Jamal Musiala to settle for a place on the bench.
The France international put himself in contention for the upcoming Ballon d’Or award by registering 22 goals and 31 assists in 53 appearances for Bayern last season.
But Vincent Kompany’s side will have to play without him against Arsenal after he was shown two yellow cards in their last Champions League game.
If Arsenal had secured their top target in the summer transfer window, Vinicius Junior would be the left-winger in this team.
But the Brazil international decided to remain at Real Madrid and Diaz is better than Christos Tzolis, who was signed from Club Brugge and is set to miss this game with a hamstring injury.
Bayern’s No.14 enjoyed a brilliant debut season at the Allianz Arena in 2025-26, scoring 26 goals and setting up another 23.
The Colombia international also registered two goals and three assists in six appearances against Arsenal during his time at Liverpool.
There were a few difficult decisions to make in this combined XI, but we saved the easiest until last.
He scored 61 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions for Bayern last season. For context, 61 club goals ago for Kai Havertz was an opener for Chelsea against Liverpool in August 2021.
The 33-year-old has also found the back of the net 15 times in his last 22 appearances against Arsenal and will back himself to add to that tally tonight.
READ NEXT: Most goals in first 100 Champions League appearances: Mbappe, Messi, Ronaldo…
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the Arsenal XI that lost 5-1 to Bayern Munich in 2017?