Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal Preview: Gunners Travel to Germany for Champions League Round of 16

Arsenal travel to the BayArena on today at 17:45 to face Bayer Leverkusen in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, as Mikel Arteta’s side look to secure a strong first-leg result away from home.

The Gunners arrive in Germany hoping to continue their impressive European campaign. Arsenal topped their group and remain unbeaten in the competition this season, building momentum as they enter the knockout stages.

Leverkusen, meanwhile, come into the match in solid European form. The German side are unbeaten in their last three Champions League games and have kept a clean sheet in each of those matches, helping them secure sixteenth place in the group stage standings.

However, their domestic form has been less consistent, with Leverkusen winning just one of their last four Bundesliga matches.

Havertz Could Face Former Club

One of the main storylines surrounding the match is the possible return of Kai Havertz against his former boyhood club.

The Arsenal forward recently returned to the squad after a difficult spell with injuries.

Arteta spoke positively about Havertz’s progress, saying:

“Now it’s been three weeks that he’s had total consistency in terms of training, preparation and gametime, and we’re going to continue to roll that because we know how Kai can impact this team.”

Previous Meetings

Historically, Arsenal have only faced Bayer Leverkusen twice in competitive matches.

Those meetings came during the 2001–02 Champions League season, when the teams drew 1–1 in Germany before Arsenal won 4–1 at Highbury.

More recently, the Gunners defeated the German side 4–1 at the Emirates Stadium in a pre-season friendly, with Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz scoring the goals.

Team News

Leverkusen will be without several players through injury, including Loïc Badé, Lucas Vázquez, Arthur, Eliesse Ben Seghir and Nathan Tella.

Goalkeeper Mark Flekken, however, has returned to training after recovering from a knee injury.

Arsenal have received some positive news ahead of the trip to Germany.

Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori both trained after picking up knocks during the FA Cup win against Mansfield.

William Saliba has also returned after recovering from an ankle injury, while Ben White has travelled with the squad but remains a doubt ahead of the match.

Match Outlook

Arsenal’s quality and strong record in the Champions League makes them favourites heading into the tie.

However, Bayer Leverkusen will hope their home advantage and recent European form can help them challenge the Gunners and potentially set up a surprise ahead of the second leg.