The Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen clash should be a highly entertaining battle when the two sides meet in the second leg of their 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen in their recent clash turned out to be quite the hard-fought, competitive battle in which the two sides cancelled each other with a 1-1 draw.
Now, the Gunners and the Bundesliga heavyweights will go to war in what should be an intense second leg clash where they’ll give their all to move their way into the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.
Match Details
Emirates Stadium
London, England
Tuesday, 17 March
20:00 GMT
Spirited Arsenal Eager For Dominant Win Over Unpredictable Bayer Leverkusen
The recent Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen clash in the first leg wasn’t as one-sided as some fans felt it would, with the Bundesliga side showing a lot of grit to hold the Premier League leaders to a draw.
Arsenal, however, have since been able to rekindle their spirits with their thrilling recent win over Everton, which also helped them take a major step forward in securing the 2025/26 Premier League title.
The Gunners will now be fully focused on getting the job done in the second leg against Bayer Leverkusen.
They realise the need to keep a sturdier defensive shape to frustrate the German side, but Arsenal also have to be way more innovative and efficient with their attacking work to create a special performance for the Emirates faithful.
Bayer Leverkusen, however, look to play spoilsport and be at their unpredictable best in the second leg. They’ll have to keep a really strong defensive shape to frustrate the Gunners, and also take their chances perfectly to get a big win.
In the three Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen clashes, two games have been stalemates, and Arsenal have won once, which the Gunners look to replicate with a statement-making performance at the Emirates Stadium.
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Can Kai Havertz Come Back To Haunt Bayer Leverkusen Again?
Kai Havertz had a memorable return to his former side, Bayer Leverkusen, as it was his penalty that helped Arsenal get away with a 1-1 draw from the first leg.
He is likely to be in the Arsenal starting XI for the second leg and will look to be at his destructive best against the German side.
Havertz is yet to reach his threatening best in the 2025/26 season and can work towards that with a dominant display against Leverkusen.
He will need to be smart with his off-the-ball movement to trouble the German side, but he also has to be clinical in taking whatever chances come his way to guide Arsenal to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.
Young Sensation Christian Kofane Eager For Eye-Catching Display Against Arsenal
After being only able to play out a draw in the first leg, Bayer Leverkusen will have to play on the front foot to be able to get a win at the Emirates Stadium and eliminate Arsenal from the UEFA Champions League.
Of course, the German side will go with a defence-first mentality because of the onslaught that the Gunners are likely to throw at them, but they need to be spirited and efficient on the counter-attacks.
This is a perfect platform for young forward Christian Kofane to prove how good he can be, having scored seven goals this season.
The 19-year-old had a tough game in the last leg, but he’s a proactive forward who can hurt the Gunners’ backline.
He’ll just need to be smart with his link-up play and off-the-ball movement to confuse the defenders, and Kofane needs to be at his ruthless best in converting chances to bolster his side’s chances of getting a big win.
Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen Injuries
Arsenal Injuries: Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard (doubt), Leandro Trossard (doubt), Jurrien Timber (doubt)
Bayer Leverkusen Injuries: Arthur, Lucas Vazquez, Loic Bade, Mark Flekken, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Martin Terrier (doubt)
Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen Predicted Lineups
Here are our Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen predicted lineups.
Arsenal Predicted XI: David Raya (GK), Christhian Mosquera, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Piero Hincapie, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres
Bayer Leverkusen Predicted XI: Janis Blaswich (GK), Jarell Quansah, Robert Andrich, Edmond Tapsoba, Ernest Poku, Aleix Garcia, Exequiel Palacios, Alejandro Grimaldo, Ibrahim Maza, Jonas Hofmann, Christian Kofane
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Team 2
Recording Date: 11.03.2026
