Arsenal continue their quest for the quadruple when they travel to Germany to face Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie on Wednesday. The Premier League leaders go into this game as favourites, having topped the Champions League league phase table, winning all their games, while Leverkusen finished 16th and had to overcome Olympiacos in the knockout playoffs to reach the round of 16.
Mikel Arteta played a much-changed lineup in Arsenal’s nervy FA Cup win over Mansfield Town over the weekend, leaving most of his first team fresh to face Leverkusen. However, the London giants have looked leggy of late, especially in their 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the league, although that took Arsenal seven points clear.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, are a far cry away from the Bundesliga title they won two seasons ago, now floundering in sixth place, 22 points behind leaders Bayern Munich, whom they face after Arsenal. Kasper Hjumand’s side have only lost one of their last 12 games in all competitions, however, and will hope they can carry that form into the Champions League. Leverkusen and Arsenal have only met twice before, in the group stage of the 2001/02 Champions League season, with a 1-1 draw in Germany after which the English side won 4-1 at home.
Here’s everything you need to know about Wednesday’s game.
How to watch:
The match will be shown on Wednesday on TNT Sports 3 in the UK, CBS / Paramount+ in the U.S., SonyLIV in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates.
Key Details:
Kick-off time: Wednesday, March 11 at 5:45 p.m. GMT (12:45 p.m. ET; 11:15 p.m. IST and 3:45 a.m. AEST, Thursday).
Venue: BayArena, Leverkusen
Referee: Umut Meler (Turkey)
VAR: Rob Dieperink (Netherlands)
Injury and Team News:
Bayer Leverkusen:
Mark Flekken, GK: OUT, knee
Arthur, D: OUT, knee
Loïc Badé, D: OUT, hamstring
Nathan Tella, F: OUT, foot
Patrik Schick, F: DOUBT, muscle
Eliesse Ben Seghir, F: OUT, ankle
Lucas Vázquez, D: DOUBT, calf
Arsenal:
Mikel Merino, M: OUT, foot
Ben White, D: DOUBT, knock
Martin Ødegaard, M: OUT, knee
Riccardo Calafiori, D: DOUBT, hamstring
Leandro Trossard, D: DOUBT, knock
William Saliba, D: DOUBT, ankle
Talking Points:
Arsenal’s style of play in the UEFA Champions League
Mikel Arteta might breathe a quiet sigh of relief that his side are once again playing a Champions League contest. Arsenal have put their best Jekyll-and-Hyde impression in European vs. domestic competitions — going from a bright, attacking side full of goals in the Champions League to grinding domestically.
Now, Arsenal have faced a lot more low blocks domestically than in Europe — where they face a higher calibre of opposition that is unlikely to sit back, and with greater spaces on offer, Arsenal’s attackers have thrived. With 23 goals scored, Arsenal were the top scorers in the league phase, and with four goals conceded they were the best defence as well.
Gabriel Martinelli thrived as a ‘finisher’, coming on late in games to run at tired defences and score on the counter attack. Leverkusen are unlikely to sit back, with Hjulmand opting for a front-foot approach ever since replacing Erik Ten Hag, and that could play into Arsenal’s hands. However, having gone multiple games without playing fluent football, can Arsenal turn it on? If not, they might have to turn to a familiar weapon — set pieces.
Leverkusen have the tools to hurt Arsenal
Arsenal played a three-man backline in the FA Cup, a first for Arteta in five years — and it showed, with Mansfield Town taking 11 shots on goal in the first half — the most of any team to have faced Arsenal this season. While Arsenal were playing an unfamiliar formation and a second-string lineup, therein lies a clue for Leverkusen.
Arteta’s much-heralded defence has appeared leaky of late, with only one clean sheet in their last five games. The potential absence of William Saliba and Riccardo Calafiori, plus the emotional state of on-loan Piero Hincapié, returning to face his parent club could play into the hosts hands.
In Ibrahim Maza, Leverkusen have a player able to unlock defences, while Alejandro Grimaldo remains a perennial goal-threat — whether down the wings or from free-kicks. Even if Patrick Schick is unable to get fit, 19-year-old Christian Kofane has already shown he can mix it with the best.
Indeed, the aforementioned quartet, along with Ernest Poku and Aleix GarcÃa were brilliant in Leverkusen’s 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad earlier this season, as well as the 2-2 draw against Newcastle United at home. If Hjulmand is brave enough, he can setup in a way that can hurt a nervy and tired Arsenal.
Will Eze and Gyokeres thrive in the transitions?
The flipside of Leverkusen opting for an attacking game against Arsenal is that Arteta has very potent attacking options in the transition. Putting aside the threat of Martinelli as a game-changing substitute in Europe, Arsenal are likely to start with Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka supplying Viktor Gyökeres.
Former Leverkusen starlet, Kai Havertz could also be in the mix, but all signs point to Arsenal’s most incisive players being on the pitch. While it leaves Arsenal lacking control that the injured Martin Ødegaard would normally offer them, the chaos an Eze can generate is something that Gyökeres thrives off.
Unlikely to face a low block, Arsenal’s Swedish striker will potentially have space to run in behind, and Eze’s forward passing could prove to be key for the visitors. Leverkusen’s three-man backline could leave their midfield starved in the transitions — and if Eze floats between the lines, he’s liable to do well.
2:25
Beckford: Eze’s influence on the team is similar to Ronaldinho’s
Jermaine Beckford discusses Eberechi Eze and Arsenal’s performance in their 2-1 FA Cup win over Mansfield Town.
It helps that the period between March and May is when Eze traditionally goes to the next level — he’s scored 22 goals in 41 games across the last three seasons in this period (1.86 gpg). A similar return in 2026, and Arsenal could very well be celebrating multiple trophies come the end of the season.
Zubimendi’s minutes and fatigue
Amidst all the headlines of Arsenal’s dark arts and dour football, what’s quietly gone unnoticed is how well Arsenal have coped with injuries this season. Yes, they have a large squad for precisely this scenario, but Arsenal have suffered plenty of injuries to key players and positions this season.
The FA Cup tie against Mansfield represented Arsenal’s last chance for rest and rotation before a two-week block of games prior to the international break. Arteta was able to afford MartÃn Zubimendi and Declan Rice some much-needed rest — the duo have played in 40 of Arsenal’s 46 games this season, and alongside Jurriën Timber, they have clocked well over 3000 minutes this season already (Zubimendi 3253, Timber 3181, Rice 3102). Leverkusen in comparison have played 39 games this season, although Garcia and Grimaldo have also crossed the 3000-minute mark.
Zubimendi, who clocked 3955 minutes for Real Sociedad last season, has covered the most distance of any player in the Premier League this season, and it has shown in his fatigued displays of late. Even the never-ending battery of Rice seems to be on its last legs, and a week’s rest between games could prove crucial, especially as Arsenal end this block of games with the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City — a game that could potentially define their season.
What do the numbers say?
-
Arsenal have lost all five of their previous UEFA two-legged ties against German opposition (all Bayern Munich), while Leverkusen have won four of their last five such ties against English teams.
-
Leverkusen have lost their previous six Champions League round of 16 ties, winning only one of the 12 games, while Arsenal have gone through to the quarterfinals in their last two attempts.
-
Arsenal have won all eight of their Champions League matches this season — a club record streak. Manchester City are the only English club to have a longer streak (10).
-
Leverkusen have lost only two of their last 19 home games in UEFA competition, and have lost only one of their previous seven UEFA games against English opposition.
