Gabriel Jesus has warned Bayern Munich that Arsenal “are not kids anymore” as they aim to end a 15-year wait to reach the Champions League semifinals.
Arsenal host Bayern in Tuesday’s quarterfinal first-leg at Emirates Stadium having reached this stage of the competition for the first time since 2010, after which they lost seven consecutive times in the round of 16 including three defeats to Tuesday’s Bundesliga opponents.
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After five years competing in the Europa League, Arsenal returned to the Champions League this season and arguably go into the tie with Bayern as favourites, given they sit top of the Premier League with seven games to go while Thomas Tuchel’s side look certain to miss out on the Bundesliga title for the first time since 2012.
Jesus is one of the few Arsenal players with experience at the highest level having won four league titles and reached the 2021 Champions League final with Manchester City, but he believes Mikel Arteta’s young squad are ready to take the next step.
“It is good to go there and speak sometimes [to the young players] but I am a player and a person who if they come to ask, I will tell them,” Jesus said.
“If I see something that I can tell and help them, I will do but I don’t think here [we are] kids anymore. Everyone played in the biggest stage in the football — World Cup, Premier League, Champions League now — so I think everyone is ready to help Arsenal.
“I think we believe more as a team, as a group. Last season we played amazing in the first part of the season, until January. And then after we started to struggle a little bit. This season has been the opposite.
“If we could do the first part of last season and the second part of this, it would be an amazing season. But real life is different. Now I think, because we passed this, now we are more ready, more confident, more mature.”
Bayern still boast Harry Kane in lethal form, having scored 38 goals in 37 games across all competitions since signing for the German giants from Tottenham last summer in a deal worth up to €120 million ($130.1m)
“Everyone knows the quality of Harry Kane,” Jesus said. “For me, personally, he’s the best finisher in the world.
“So, it’s great to obviously play against these kind of players. We want to keep him quiet in the game — and then we try to win the game.
“Also, it’s not only Harry Kane, but a lot of players like [Leroy] Sane, my old friend, [Jamal] Musiala, [Kingsley] Coman, [Thomas] Muller — what a player — [Serge] Gnabry. It’s a lot. They have quality players there.
“It’s hard to explain [what makes Kane the best finisher in the world], maybe he can explain it to you, me not.
“But, in my opinion, he can finish with his head, left or right [foot]. Since I arrived in Europe, for me in that time he’s one of the best and at this time he is the best finisher in the world.”
Bayern have lost six league games this season and have already confirmed that Thomas Tuchel will leave the club at the end of the season after falling 16 points behind unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.
Asked if their domestic issues were relevant to this Champions League tie, Arteta said: “From my side no. As well it’s something that we have no say over, no control. We don’t know, but we always expect the best from any opponent.
“Whether we play Bayern, Brighton last week, Villa next week, regardless of where they are you always have to expect they’ll play in their best possible way and outperform them.”
