Bayern Munich are visiting Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium tonight for Matchday 5 of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League in a crucial clash between the group leaders. The bad news for the Bundesliga champion is that they will be without star forward Luis Diaz for this important contest.
Luis Diaz will be unavailable for the match against Arsenal because he was sent off with a straight red card in the previous matchday’s victory against PSG for a harsh foul on Achraf Hakimi and UEFA handed the Colombian forward a three-match suspension.
As a result, he will also miss the next fixture against Sporting CP and the following match against Union Saint-Gilloise. Diaz will not be eligible to return to Champions League play until the final matchday of the league phase on January 28th against PSV.
Diaz will therefore miss a critical match that pits two of the three current leaders of the competition against each other. Bayern Munich and Arsenal have both won all four games they have played and sit tied with Inter Milan on 12 points.
Luis Diaz receives a red card against PSG. (Getty Images)
Bayern Munich dealing with multiple absences
The loss of Diaz is a tough blow for manager Vincent Kompany, as the Colombian is a vital piece in his system. The former Liverpool forward has tallied 11 goals and five assists in 17 official matches with Bayern Munich.
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Arsenal vs Bayern Munich: Lineups for Matchday 5 of 2025-26 UEFA Champions League
But Diaz’s absence is not the only significant one for the German team. They will also be without Alphonso Davies, Serge Gnabry, and Jamal Musiala, who are all recovering from injuries.
However, Arsenal are also dealing with several key issues for this match. Mikel Arteta will be without Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel, who are all recovering from injuries. The Spanish manager will, however, be able to count on captain Martin Odegaard, who has returned from injury.
