Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have the chance to put one foot forward in their pursuit of winning the Champions League on Wednesday evening as they travel to Germany to face Bayer Leverkusen in a Round of 16 clash.
The league phase was seamless for the Premier League table toppers, who managed to oversee emphatic wins against the likes of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.
Whether that can translate into them getting their hands on the trophy in Budapest remains to be seen – but, for now, Opta’s supercomputer has them as the runaway favourites (26.7%).
Being careful not to look too far ahead, Leverkusen is their next test – but who will be in charge when Arsenal turn up to the BayArena?
Who is the referee for Mansfield vs Arsenal?
For a match of such a lofty magnitude, it may come as a surprise that Halil Umut Meler – the referee in charge – has not officiated in the Champions League this term.
In fact, only twice has the Turkish referee manned the whistle for a fixture at Europe’s top table – Manchester City’s 0-0 with Sporting CP in 2022 and Benfica’s 5-1 win over Club Brugge in the following campaign.
UEFA, however, believe in his competency as he was the fourth official for the Europa Conference League final between Chelsea and Real Betis last term.
He also took charge of Aston Villa’s Europa League meeting with Basel back in December 2025, while he is also highly regarded in his home country of Turkey.
The man in the middle for Galatasaray and Fenerbahce’s Turkish Super Cup clash in January, Arsenal’s encounter with Leverkusen will certainly be one of the biggest matches of the 39-year-old’s career.
It must be noted that Meler can be on the stricter end of the spectrum. Of the matches he’s manned in 2025/26 (22), he’s handed out 97 yellow cards and four red cards. That averages out at 4.59 cards per match, per WhoScored.
Halil Umut Meler’s record against Arsenal
A FIFA listed referee since 2017 and a member of UEFA Elite for three years, Meler has officiated all manner of matches across the continent – but Arsenal have only been involved the once.
Arteta encountered the Turkish official as the latter oversaw Arsenal’s behind-closed-doors Europa League victory over Molde in 2020.
The two have not crossed paths since but, on the occasion, Meler dished out two yellow cards – both two Arsenal players.
| Matches | Arsenal wins | Draws | Arsenal defeats |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Bukayo Saka and David Luiz were booked as the Gunners had two own goals and strikes from Nicolas Pepe and Joe Willock to thank for their 4-1 victory.
Who are the assistant referees and VAR?
In terms of who will help 39-year-old Meler make important decisions on the night, he will have an all-Turkish officiating team behind him: Ibrahim Caglas Uyarcan and Adbullah Ozkara as the assistant referees.
Elsewhere, Cihan Aydin will operate as the fourth official. VAR will be manned by Rob Dieperink of the Netherlands with Portuguese official Tiago Martins on hand to iron out any ambiguous on-pitch decisions.
