Kim Min-jae’s last hope is gone.
The “first-tier” Munich journalist, who broke the story of Kim’s move to German giants Bayern Munich last summer, also confirmed Kim’s omission from the Arsenal squad. Thomas Tuchel was expected to make changes in key positions, but center back was not one of them.
Florian Plettenberg, one of Sky Sports Deutschland’s best-known Munich pundits, took to social media on Tuesday to predict his starting lineup for the Munich-Arsenal 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg at the Emirates Stadium in London, England, at 4:00 a.m. ET.
Munich are on their worst run of form this season, having lost their last two German Bundesliga matches since the A-Match last month. It’s fair to say that their chances of winning the Bundesliga are less than 1%. The German Football Association (DFB) Pokal was eliminated early last November, so the only title left is the Champions League. They’ll have to go all out against Arsenal to secure the three points and hope for a top-four finish at home in the second leg.
Under the circumstances, Plettenberg also expected to leave out Kim Min-jae, who was the main man behind the team’s four straight wins in the Champions League group stage and early progression to the round of 16.
Plettenberg predicts that Munich will leave veteran midfielder Thomas Muller out of the starting lineup. Plettenberg, who believes Tuchel will start Harry Kane up front as expected, predicts Serge Gnabry will replace Muller in the second line with Jamal Moussaoui and Leroy Sane.
The two defensive midfielders would be Konrad Reimer and Leon Goretzka, while the back four would be Alfonso Davies, Eric Dier, Matthijs Durich and Josua Kimmich from the left. In goal, he predicted the return of Manuel Neuer, who missed the last two games due to injury.
It was also thought that Kim Min-jae, who received the worst rating in the previous match, would watch the game from the bench. Plettenberg first revealed the move to Munich in June of last year when Manchester United were rumored to be a destination for Kim Min-jae. He has since spoken highly of Kim’s skills, but it seems that he may have taken into account Kim’s recent struggles.
On June 6, Kim made his first start in 35 days against Heidenheim in the Bundesliga, but was embarrassed in the team’s 2-3 loss. Although Kim didn’t make a mistake or give up an own goal, the German media waited and gave him a 6, the lowest rating for a player on both teams.
The German media then predicted that Kim would be dropped again against Arsenal three days later, with a combination of Derrikht and Dyer at center back.
Earlier, German publication Kicker wrote: “Tuchel may have already decided on his starting XI ahead of the Champions League clash with Arsenal in London. The situation at the back is clear, given that Upamecano and Kim Min-Jae had poor performances against Heidenheim. “They didn’t make a good impression against Heidenheim and didn’t prove 안전놀이터 why they should start against Arsenal,” he said. why they should start against Arsenal.
“Unless something unexpected happens, it’s likely that Derrikht and Dier, who were rested against Heidenheim, will start.”
Germany’s TZ also criticized Kim Min-jae’s expression after the 2-3 defeat against Heidenheim, saying, “When I gave up two goals in the game against Heidenheim, Kim Min-jae’s expression was not good. What I remember is that I lost the air ball contest, and I gave too much space to my opponent players,” and evaluated that Kim Min-jae missed the opportunity to prove his qualification as a starter.
“In some ways, Munich’s starting lineup for the match against Arsenal is easy to predict. Upamecano and Kim Min-jae are expected to go down to the bench in defense, and Eric Dier and Derricht are likely to sit,” the German football team said.
German Bild, who has always been critical of Kim Min-jae, also excluded Kim Min-jae from the expected starting lineup.
The UEFA website did the same. While previewing the match, the team announced the expected selection list for both teams. Munich’s center-back combination was also dominated by second-half mainstay Diricht and Dier.
In fact, the journalist familiar with the Munich situation was Plettenberg, so there could have been different expectations, but he also did not list Kim Min-jae on his name. If Tuchel does not make a bold decision, it will be difficult for Kim Min-jae to start against Arsenal.
It is also likely to be considered that Dyer is familiar with London, where the game will be held. Tottenham, Dyer’s former team, is forming the “North London Derby,” one of the world’s derby, with Arsenal. The environment of the Emirates stadium or the support of home fans is not unfamiliar.