Arsenal have the opportunity to reach the Champions League quarter-final stage for the third consecutive season when they host Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 on Tuesday night.
The Gunners haven’t managed this feat since they reached the last eight three years on the bounce between 2008 and 2010 under Arsene Wenger. Mikel Arteta’s team come into this crucial European clash off the back of a dramatic victory over Everton on Saturday evening, with late goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Max Dowman extending their points cushion over Manchester City to nine.
An unprecedented quadruple remains on the cards for the North Londoners, although they will have to overcome a resolute Leverkusen side to secure their progression on Tuesday. Die Werkself held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the BayArena last week, before also holding Bayern Munich to a stalemate on the weekend.
Here are the key battles that we believe could be pivotal in dictating the outcome of the game at the Emirates Stadium.
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Cristhian Mosquera vs Alejandro Grimaldo
Alejandro Grimaldo was picked out as Leverkusen’s primary threat in our pre-match coverage of the first leg, and he certainly delivered. The Spanish wing-back was a constant outlet up the left side for Hjulmand’s team at the BayArena, and he ultimately provided the assist for Robert Andrich’s goal with a pinpoint corner.
He’ll be up against a different defender on Tuesday, however. Jurrien Timber is unavailable for Arteta through injury, meaning one of Cristhian Mosquera or Ben White will start at right-back. Given the Gunners boss called upon the former when Timber had to come off injured against Everton, Mosquera will likely be picked from the start.
The Spanish defender’s defensive competence in wide areas will be tested by the supremely talented Grimaldo, and Arsenal’s success may ultimately be predicated on how well he does in this individual battle.
Viktor Gyokeres vs Robert Andrich
Viktor Gyokeres started the game in Germany excellently. The Swede showed some impressive movement early on, and got his opposite number, Robert Andrich, booked with a smart turn inside the opening five minutes.
Andrich arguably could have been sent off before the half-time whistle, with the referee waving away what could easily have been a second card offence. The German went on to open the scoring for Leverkusen, and actually dealt with Gyokeres with relative ease as the match wore on.
Arsenal’s £63 million striker will likely be called back into the starting eleven after scoring the winning goal against Everton on the weekend. He’ll need to trouble Andrich significantly more if the Gunners are to emerge victorious.
| Viktor Gyokeres’ statistics this season (all competitions) | |
| Appearances | 40 |
| Goals | 16 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Shots per 90 | 2.04 |
| Expected Goals per 90 (non-penalty) | 0.44 |
Martin Zubimendi vs Aleix Garcia
In Leverkusen, Arsenal managed just six shots and accumulated just 0.8 non-penalty expected goals. A huge part of their failure to muster up chances in the final third was their inability to progress the ball through midfield and control territory through possession.
Zubimendi was largely culpable for these failings, as the Spaniard struggled to deal with his compatriot, Aleix Garcia, and the Leverkusen midfielder’s energetic pressing. Garcia got the better of the former Real Sociedad man at the BayArena, and this will have to be reversed if Arsenal are to progress.
Arteta must instruct Zubimendi on how to position himself in areas where he can evade Garcia’s presence and progress the ball up the pitch. Otherwise, the Gunners’ build-up will be stodgy once again, and they’ll fail to get the ball into dangerous areas quickly enough.
