Arsenal host Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday night at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners just about escaped from Germany last week with a draw, courtesy of a late Kai Havertz penalty. Although this first leg result leaves Mikel Arteta’s side in a strong position, the Spaniard’s team will have to play significantly better in N5 than they did at the BayArena, if they want to progress into the last eight of Europe’s elite competition.
Opta’s supercomputer has Arsenal as overwhelming favourites to win the Champions League, with a quarter-final tie against Bodo/Glimt or Sporting awaiting them. That said, the immediate focus has to be on dealing with Leverkusen, who look to be more stubborn opposition than the Gunners might perhaps first have thought.
| Date | Result | Competition |
| 27/02/2002 | Arsenal 4-1 Bayer Leverkusen | Champions League |
| 19/02/2002 | Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Arsenal | Champions League |
| 11/03/2026 | Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Arsenal | Champions League |
Confirmed Arsenal XI vs Bayer Leverkusen
Arteta experimented with a few different things in the Everton game. The Spaniard opted to deploy Noni Madueke off the left, while Kai Havertz came in up front, and Riccardo Calafiori replaced Piero Hincapie at left-back.
These changes gave the Gunners a lot more control than they’ve had in recent matches, although they still lacked a cutting edge in the final third. But he’s reverted back to his roots for the Leverkusen encounter.
David Raya will start in goal, with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes nailed-on starters in front of the shot-stopper. With Timber unavailable, Ben White is back and filling in at right-back.
Calafiori was impressive against Everton, but there were concerns whether the Italian could be trusted to play again a few days later remains to be seen. Hincapie is, therefore, back in to the starting eleven.
Declan Rice will partner Martin Zubimendi in midfield, with Eberechi Eze starting ahead of this double pivot once again. While Bukayo Saka has struggled of late, the Gunners’ talisman has kept his place on the right.
Havertz’s fitness situation needs to be managed, so Viktor Gyokeres is back into the side. Meanwhile, Madueke didn’t do quite enough off the left to merit another start, meaning Gabriel Martinelli is deployed off the left.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Bayer Leverkusen: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice, Eze; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.
Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen Prediction
Leverkusen proved to be a stern defensive side last week in the Rhineland, and their result over the weekend only reinforces this. Die Werkself held the imperious Bayern Munich to a draw in the Bundesliga, in a game where Kasper Hjulmand’s side accumulated over three expected goals.
That said, Bayern were reduced to ten men towards the end of the first half, when Nicolas Jackson was sent off for a reckless tackle. Regardless, it’s clear that this won’t be an easy task for Arsenal and that they’ll have to play with urgency to unlock a resolute Leverkusen defence.
If the Gunners can score early to settle the nerves, then they should cruise into the quarter-finals with relative ease. However, if they don’t find the breakthrough inside the first half, then the tie could become very difficult.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen
