Arsenal must be ‘aggressive’ to shut down two Bayern Munich stars, says Jurrien Timber

Jurrien Timber says Arsenal will need to take an ‘aggressive’ approach into their clash with Bayern Munich if they are to keep the likes of Harry Kane and Michael Olise quiet.

Bayern and Arsenal sit first and second in the Champions League group-stage standings heading into Wednesday’s showdown, with Inter Milan the only other team to boast a 100 per cent record after four games.

There will be intriguing match-ups all over the pitch when the two sides meet at the Emirates and the Gunners will be aware of the wealth of attacking talent that Vincent Kompany has at his disposal.

Mikel Arteta’s men should be brimming with confidence, though, and will no doubt take inspiration from their statement 4-1 victory over bitter rivals Tottenham, which tightened their grip on top spot in the Premier League.

However, Arsenal have not beaten Bayern since as far back as October 2015, when Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil were on target in a 2-0 victory over the German giants in north London.

The Bundesliga champions are also in outstanding form themselves having romped to a thumping 6-2 win at home to Freiburg at the weekend.

‘Even if it wasn’t first against second, Bayern is a big club with a great team, great players, great coach, so it’s going to be a tough game either way,’ Timber said of Arsenal’s opponents.

‘They are two teams that want to press, want to play and I think it’s going to be an exciting game for the fans as well.’

Olise completed a brace and Kane was again on target as Bayern put Freiburg to the sword in Saturday’s largely one-sided match in the Bundesliga.

Kane now has 24 goals to his name in all competitions and takes with him an incredible record against Arsenal stretching back to his Tottenham days, with the England captain netting 15 times in his 21 appearances versus the Gunners.

On the challenge awaiting Arsenal in keeping Kane quiet, Timber explained: ‘That’s not going to be easy, of course.

‘After a couple of clean sheets people keep talking about how good the defence is, but I don’t think it’s just the defenders.

‘If you look at our performance against Tottenham then we scored three goals, but, defensively, it was amazing as well.

‘It’s the whole team that’s trying to step up and do a bit more.

‘Also, with Gabriel [Magalhaes] being out, everyone knows how important he is to us and, at the same time, as defenders, you have to step up.

‘Everyone is taking their responsibility in terms of attacking and defending and we go from there together.’

According to Timber, Kane has proven beyond doubt that he is among the most complete centre-forwards on the planet with his goalscoring exploits for Bayern.

‘He’s an amazing striker, everyone knows that,’ the Dutchman added.

‘He has so many qualities, he’s been doing it for such a long time already and now, at Bayern Munich, he’s also being one of the best players in the world.

‘It’s going to be a nice challenge for us as a team as defenders to stop him tomorrow.’

Likely to go head to head with Olise at the Emirates, Timber is bracing himself for a ‘very tough’ challenge against the former Crystal Palace man.

‘It’s just like any other match-up to be fair,’ Timber replied when asked how he would be approaching his battle with Olise.

‘Every week, every game, there’s someone again that is very tough to defend against. Luckily, I’m not on my own on the pitch, we do it as a team.

‘I’ll just try to be aggressive and always focus on my defensive part first and then my attacking as well.’

Despite Arsenal’s barnstorming form this season, Timber insists there is still plenty of room for improvement for the squad both collectively and as individuals.

‘It’s about staying humble, approaching the game calmly but also aggressive,’ the Netherlands defender continued.

‘Also, I think Sunday against Tottenham was an amazing game but there are so many things that, personally, I know I can do better, defensively but also from an attacking perspective.

‘That’s the same for the team so it’s about trying to find those things all the time. There’s still a level to reach for us that needs to be reached.’

Asked if he is playing the best football of his entire career, Timber smiled and replied: ‘I don’t know about that but I’m just trying to get better every time, every game, every day.

‘It’s also about the environment I’m in and the culture we have here. Everyone is trying to push each other.

‘We have a big squad so we have to push each other but we’re also trying to win something.

‘I think I’m in the right environment to develop myself and become the best version of myself.’

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