Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal
Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal are set to face off at the BayArena on Wednesday night for the opening leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie, and these two teams have had contrasting journeys to reach this far.
After finishing 16th in the league phase, Bayer Leverkusen faced Olympiacos in the knockout playoffs, winning 2-0 in the first leg before sharing the spoils in the second leg to progress to the next round. Kasper Hjulmand’s men are unbeaten in their last four games across all competitions (D3, W1).
On the other hand, Arsenal secured an outright spot in the Round of 16 after winning all eight matches in the league phase. Mikel Arteta’s men could be eyeing a quadruple, as they’re on top of the Premier League standings, in the EFL Cup final, and deep into the FA Cup.
Can Die Werkself give the Gunners a run for their money? Continue reading below for Today’s SBOTOP preview.
Talking Points
Schick iffy to play for Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen have been without their top scorer, Patrik Schick, with seven goals and two assists this season, in their past two games against Hamburg (1-0) and SC Freiburg (3-3) due to a thigh injury, and the Czech striker is one of the several key players who are in the team’s medical room.
With Schick on the sidelines, head coach Kasper Hjulmand has placed Christian Kofane as Die Werkself’s No. 9, and the 19-year-old Cameroonian has shown promise, scoring two goals in his last two appearances. Overall, Kofane has five goals and three assists this term. Martin Terrier and Ibrahim Maza will likely join Kofane in the final third, with Alejandro Grimaldo and Ernest Poku providing spacing on the wings and Malik Tillman as their off-the-bench option.
Janis Blaswich is expected to remain as Die Werkself’s starting goalkeeper, as Mark Flekken (knee) is out for at least one month, joining Loic Bade (hamstring), Arthur (ligament), Lucas Vazquez (calf), Eliesse Ben Seghir (calf), and Nathan Tella (foot) in the infirmary. Hjulmand will likely keep his back three of Edmond Tapsoba, Robert Andrich, and Jarell Quansah, with Equi Fernandez and Aleix Garcia providing cover in the middle of the park.
Injury worries for Arsenal
Arsenal might also be without several key players, as Martin Odegaard (knee), Ben White (knock), and William Saliba (ankle) are doubtful to play. Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori came off injured during their FA Cup victory over Mansfield last weekend.
Head coach Mikel Arteta didn’t play Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes, Viktor Gyokeres, and David Raya against Mansfield, so they’re expected to reclaim their starting spots against Bayer Leverkusen. Piero Hincapie is eligible to face his mother club, while Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka are also in for starts against Bayer Leverkusen.
The Gunners have been heavily criticised for their “boring” playstyle, as they’ve resorted to incessant time-wasting and set-pieces in the past few weeks. But as long as the wins keep coming, it doesn’t matter.
History
Wednesday marks only the fourth matchup between Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal. These two teams first met in the second group stage of the 2001-02 Champions League, where Arsenal won 4-1 in their second meeting after a 1-1 draw in their first.
Bayer Leverkusen eventually claimed the top berth in Group D to progress to the knockout stage, while Arsenal and Juventus finished in third and fourth at seven points. Die Werkself eventually reached the final but lost 2-1 to Real Madrid.
These two sides last met in an exhibition game in August 2024, where the Gunners won 4-1 at the Emirates. Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz were on the scoresheet for Arsenal, while Adam Hlozek scored a consolation for Bayer Leverkusen.
Betting Tip
The Champions League 2026 odds says no to the question on the article’s title. The Gunners are 1.54 favourites to win, whereas Die Werkself are huge 5.20 underdogs, and a draw is at 3.81 in the 1X2 market.
However, Champions League 2026 highlights could be limited, as fatigue could play a role for the visitors, who are battling on four fronts. Besides rooting for the Gunners to win, punters may be tempted to add Under 2.25 at 2.28, Under 2.50 at 2.00, Under 2.75 at 1.78, and even Total Goal 0-1 at 3.25 to the parlay. Meanwhile, a Correct Score of 4-1 in favour of Arsenal – the result of their last two competitive meetings – seems like a long shot at 28.00.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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