LONDON, United Kingdom, Nov 26 – While Arsenal’s Champions League meeting with Bayern Munich is a match between two of Europe’s in-form clubs – both boasting 100% records in the competition, both six points clear domestically – it is also a reunion of, and friendly rivalry between, two key forwards.
For either side, victory at the Emirates would bring a top-eight league stage finish and guaranteed place in the last 16 into view, while maintaining a superb start to the domestic season. The Gunners have lost only once across all competitions, Bayern are unbeaten.
But the match will also have personal significance for two of Europe’s most creative and in-form forwards, who come up against each other just 18 months after terrorising Premier League defences in unison.
Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze and Bayern’s Michael Olise are firm friends from their three seasons together at Crystal Palace – a relationship that was strengthened through their love of chess.
After France international Olise had taught Eze how to play the game, the pair often got the pieces out for a contest at Palace’s training ground, helping to forge a bond that led to what was described at times as a telepathic on-field understanding.
Such was Eze’s natural flair for the game he won $20,000 in an online tournament in May – but he will be wary of being outmanoeuvred by Olise on the pitch.
“I didn’t start learning chess until Michael came in,” Eze said, speaking to the Athletic.
“It was him and my brother who nudged me to learn how to play and face them, so that’s when I started studying the game, watching YouTube videos of the best chess openings.”
Both players have taken a similar path over the past few years, rising from the Championship to fulfilling their potential at Crystal Palace.
They combined eight times for goals for the Eagles, with Olise providing all eight assists for Eze’s goals.
Now, they are competing against each other at the top of the European game and are also poised to feature for their countries at the World Cup.
But will either help their team to a checkmate position by full-time?
Olise gone to another level since Bayern move
For Olise, things have gone perfectly since his move to Munich.
The 23-year-old has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, become a regular for the France national team and won the Bundesliga.
Yet it was only a little over four years ago, in July 2021, that he arrived in the Premier League, joining Palace aged 19 in an £8m move from Reading.
The English-born forward made 90 appearances in all competitions over the next three seasons, culminating in 10 goals from 19 Premier League appearances to help Palace finish 10th in 2024. A £50m move to Bayern followed, though it could have been very different as he was expected to stay in England, with Manchester United one of the clubs to have shown interest.
There have certainly been no regrets about moving to Germany, though, and after an impressive first season Olise appears to be hitting new heights this term, with nine goals and 10 assists from 18 games.
Just like Eze, Olise comes into this match after a player of the match performance in which he scored two goals and made three assists in Bayern’s 6-2 win over Freiburg.
Described by those close to him as being a player who loves football but is less comfortable with other aspects – such as media duties – he will surely be motivated by the opportunity to remind fans in England what he is capable of.
His stats include having:
- Scored or created a goal every 85 minutes for Bayern this season (compared with a goal or assist every 141 minutes at Palace)
- Scored twice as often this season as he did at Palace (one in every four games at Palace, one in every two for Bayern this season)
- Started shooting a lot more – roughly double the number of shots per 90 minutes compared with his time at Palace
- Remained as creative, creating 2.4 chances per 90 minutes in Germany, a slight increase from 2.3 with Palace.
