Bayern Munich kick a ball around a £3,500-per-hour, chandelier-clad function room at London’s five-star Landmark Hotel in a training session to prepare to face Arsenal tonight

Bayern Munich kick a ball around a £3,500-per-hour, chandelier-clad function room at London’s five-star Landmark Hotel in a training session to prepare to face Arsenal tonight

Bayern Munich geared up for their Champions League showdown against Arsenal in the rather opulent surroundings of a chandelier-clad ballroom.

The German champions are in London for the first leg of their quarter-final at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night and were clearly in no mood to brave the wet and windy weather.

Instead, a video posted on their social media showed Harry Kane and Co being put through their paces in the Marble Ballroom at the five-star Landmark Hotel where they’re staying.

Function rooms at the Marylebone hotel can cost up to £3,500-per-hour to hire out for weddings and £4,500-a-day to rent for business functions.

The clip showed first showed Bayern’s players jogging along the plush carpets in the ballroom as part of their warm-up routine.

The Bayern Munich players were put through their paces in the unusual surroundings of the opulent Marble Ballroom at London’s Landmark Hotel ahead of their meeting with Arsenal

The Bayern players are put through their stretching routines beneath the chandeliers 

There was also time for a little game of football tennis, while minding the ornaments

Hoe the Marble Ballroom at the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone usually looks

Ballrooms at the hotel can be hired out for weddings at a cost of £3,500-per-hour 

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They were then seen going through stretching routines on individual yoga mats before the final segment showed a little game of ‘football tennis’ with the net positioned right underneath one of the chandeliers.

Bayern will only need a light training session ahead of the match but no doubt the gusty wind and showers in London deterred them from venturing outside.

Even though Bayern knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League four times at the last-16 stage between 2013 and 2017, winning their last three encounters 5-1, it’s the Gunners who are favourites this time. 

Mikel Arteta’s side are currently top of the Premier League amid a tense title race with Liverpool and Manchester City.

Bayern, meanwhile, trail Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen by 16 points as they face the imminent prospect of not being German champions for the first time since 2012.

Coach Thomas Tuchel is leaving in the summer with plenty of suggestions his players have stopped listening to his instructions. 

A bad result in the first leg on Tuesday night could even see ex-Chelsea boss Tuchel removed early and replaced by a caretaker until the end of the campaign. 

Bayern come into the Arsenal tie off the back of consecutive Bundesliga defeats against Borussia Dortmund and Heidenheim, throwing away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 in the latter. 

The 38 goals of Kane, signed from Tottenham Hotspur for £100million last summer, in an exceptional debut season have proved a rare bright point. 

Bayern have endured a tough season with the Champions League their last hope of a trophy

Coach Thomas Tuchel will depart in the summer having failed to put his vision in place

Speaking on Monday, Tuchel warned the doubters that Bayern still represent a formidable prospect in the Champions League. 

‘We have more experience in the Champions League,’ Tuchel said. 

‘It’s different in the Champions League compared to the Premier League. We want to use that to our advantage.

‘It’s been at a high level so far in the Champions League. We’ve achieved our minimum goal.

‘We’ve been rightly criticised after our performances in the cup and the league. We accept that. The consistency in our performances wasn’t what we expect from ourselves.

‘Arsenal are currently the best team in the Premier League, all statistics prove that. They’re in fantastic form.

Arsenal, meanwhile, come into the tie in terrific form as they push for the league title

‘They’re also the best team in Europe from set pieces. We’re a little behind. We know about their strengths, how we want to hurt them.’

Tuchel has also singled out praise for the job Arteta has done at The Emirates, crediting the Spanish manager with changing the culture at the club under his watch.  

Adding: ‘There’s been a change of culture under Arteta. This is now paying off massively. They’re dominating the toughest league in the world,’ he said.

‘They’re at a very high tactical level, are very stable against the ball.

‘But we’ll also try to be strong. The style in the Champions League is different from the Premier League. But huge credit to Arteta and the club.’


Source From: Football | Mail Online

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