Arsenal drop early team news hint for Bayern Munich with Dowman decision and Gyokeres replacement

Arsenal have dropped an early team news hint for their clash with Bayern Munich in the Champions League, with one key decision surrounding Max Dowman's involvement before the game.

Arsenal are set for one of their biggest fixtures of the Champions League season, as they welcome Bayern Munich to the Emirates Stadium. The Bavarian club have a knack of beating the Gunners, who haven't been able to beat their rivals in Europe since October 2015.

With Mikel Arteta looking to earn that first victory over Bayern in just over 10 years, there are some key decisions the manager will have to make. After Arsenal's North London Derby victory over Tottenham at the weekend, the quick turnaround may require some changes to the team.

Fortunately, the injury crisis is starting to ease, with Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, and Riccardo Calafiori all available to the manager once again. There has also been a return to training for Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus, hinting at their involvement in the squad once again.

Those returns come as a boost, allowing for greater rotation within the team, but it also presents a potential problem for Arteta. The abundance of talent means that, when almost everyone is fit and available again, Arsenal will have some players sitting out of the matchday squad.

That certainly seems to be the case for the Bayern Munich game, with an early hint at who may or may not be involved at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night. With the Arsenal Under-19s featuring in UEFA Youth League action against their German counterparts earlier in the day, there was one notable inclusion and one exclusion.

Max Dowman was named in the team, hinting that he won't be involved in the match later in the day. The 15-year-old made his Champions League debut against Slavia Prague earlier this season, becoming the youngest player in the competition's history by doing so.

However, while it seems as though he won't be taking part against Bayern Munich, there may well be a place for one of his academy teammates. That's because Andre Harriman-Annous isn't present for the Under-19s, meaning he is available to be part of the squad later in the day.

That seems likely due to the lack of striker options currently available to Arteta within the squad. An injury to Viktor Gyokeres before the international break means he isn't available, while Kai Havertz is still recovering from the knee problem he sustained earlier this season.

While it seems that Mikel Merino will be the main No.9 option, Harriman-Annous could offer a more natural centre-forward threat from the bench. A win for Arsenal could be crucial to their hopes of finishing in the top eight and landing passage to the round of 16.

Speaking ahead of the game, Arteta told the press: "We have the same intention to win it, we've had a really good preparation again, a really short one, but we've been very efficient as well. We know the importance of the match, we are in a really strong position, we want to maintain that for sure and we know that we have a beautiful and very demanding game ahead of us."