Arsenal vs. Bayer Leverkusen: Preview, prediction, team news as Tella makes London trip

Nigeria international Nathan Tella will likely be available when Bayer Leverkusen tackle Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday night for the second leg of their Round of 16 Champions League clash, Afrik-Foot reports.

Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen played out a 1-1 draw at the BayArena last week, a result that flatters the visitors considerably more than the final scoreline suggests. The Gunners left Germany in a more comfortable position than it felt at the final whistle.

Trailing to Robert Andrich’s 46th-minute header, Arsenal equalised deep into stoppage time through a Kai Havertz penalty, the German choosing not to celebrate against his former club. That draw means the Londoners return to the Emirates Stadium with the right to host, dictate the tempo, and avoid chasing the game. Leverkusen must score to stay in the tie and possibly avoid extra time.

Arsenal vs. Leverkusen: The Emirates advantage

Arsenal enter this second leg as clear favourites, and the numbers back that up.

The Gunners won all eight of their league phase matches, scoring 24 goals and conceding five, no other side in this edition matched that record. Until last Tuesday, they had been the only team in the competition yet to fall behind at any point this season.

Conceding first in Germany and responding immediately from the spot says a great deal about this group’s character.

The Premier League picture is equally solid: seven points clear at the top, six consecutive home wins at the Emirates, and just one goal conceded across those fixtures. The historic quadruple remains on, with Mikel Arteta managing his squad rotation with real precision.

Bayer Leverkusen, by contrast, are having a far less impressive 2025-26 campaign than their unbeaten Bundesliga title-winning season. Xabi Alonso left in the summer, Erik ten Hag lasted three matches before being dismissed in October, and Kasper Hjulmand has been rebuilding since.

After a draining 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich on Saturday, Leverkusen sit sixth in the Bundesliga, three points off a European place for next season.

Their Champions League campaign has been steady rather than impressive: 16th in the league phase, a 2-0 win over Manchester City, then a qualifying play-off victory over Olympiakos. At the BayArena they have been difficult to beat, one defeat in nine home league matches, but away from home, the record is patchier: two wins, two draws, and one defeat in their last five on the road.

Arsenal have one advantage Leverkusen cannot replicate: their own supporters. Since losing to Manchester United in January, the Gunners have not been beaten at home. Tuesday is set up perfectly for them to finish the job early.

Head-to-head record

The two clubs had met just two times in official competition before last week’s first leg, and Arsenal came out comfortably on top across those encounters.

The first meeting came in the 2001-02 Champions League group stage. At the BayArena, Arsenal conceded an equaliser in chaotic circumstances. Robert Pires put the Gunners ahead before Ulf Kirsten levelled in stoppage time, moments after Ray Parlour’s red card. A week later at Highbury, Arsenal responded with a 4-1 win, goals from Pires, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Dennis Bergkamp doing the damage.

The third meeting was last Tuesday. The 1-1 at the BayArena leaves the aggregate record close, but the overall balance tips clearly in Arsenal’s favour.

One piece of historical context is worth noting: Leverkusen have won only one of their eight Champions League home games against English clubs, a 2011 victory over Chelsea. Their only elimination at the hands of an English side came against Liverpool in 2004-05. Arsenal could become just the second English club to knock them out in Europe.

Team news and predicted line-ups

Arsenal

The main concern for Arsenal centres on Jurrien Timber, the Dutch defender who left the field during Saturday’s win over Everton. His status for Tuesday is unclear.

Ben White remains out with a knee problem, which limits Arteta’s defensive options. Martin Odegaard is absent with the knee issue that kept him out in Germany. Mikel Merino is done for the season after undergoing foot surgery in February.

There is better news elsewhere. William Saliba returns after an ankle complaint, while Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Martin Zubimendi all played against Everton and are available. Leandro Trossard missed the trip to Germany but returned to training earlier in the week, his availability remains uncertain, as does that of Eberechi Eze, who has been in poor form in recent weeks.

If Timber cannot play, Arteta may trial Bukayo Saka in a central midfield role, an experiment already tested in the Premier League, which would allow Noni Madueke to occupy his favoured right flank.

Both Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard are one booking away from a suspension should Arsenal reach the quarter-finals, so their tackling intensity will be worth watching.

Predicted Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Raya; Mosquera (or Timber), Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Eze (or Havertz), Madueke; Gyokeres

Bayer Leverkusen

Hjulmand arrives in north London with a lengthy injury list. Aleix Garcia took a knock to the head against Bayern Munich on Saturday and is likely working through concussion protocols, making him a major doubt.

Martin Terrier was also forced off in that match with an ankle problem, though the club are cautiously optimistic about his chances of being available.

Mark Flekken (knee), Loic Bade (hamstring), Arthur (ligament), Lucas Vazquez (calf), and Eliesse Ben Seghir (ankle) are all ruled out.

Nathan Tella missed the first leg due to a foot injury but he came off the bench against Bayern Munich and will likely make the trip to London.

Patrik Schick, Leverkusen’s top scorer before his muscle injury, was on the bench in Germany. He could now be in contention for a starting spot, offering an attacking presence that Kofane, for all his quality, does not yet provide in the same way.

Alejandro Grimaldo returns from a Bundesliga suspension, which is a significant boost, his delivery from set pieces has caused serious problems for opponents all season.

Predicted Leverkusen XI (3-4-2-1): Blaswich; Andrich, Quansah, Tapsoba; Poku, Palacios (or Fernandez), Garcia or Hofmann, Grimaldo; Maza, Terrier; Kofane (or Schick)

Viktor Gyokeres vs. Alejandro Grimaldo

The Managers

Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)

Arteta had a difficult first leg in Germany. His side were largely neutralised for 90 minutes by a Leverkusen team that had clearly studied Arsenal’s attacking patterns. Two late substitutions saved the result: Madueke on for Saka, Havertz on for Gyokeres. Both worked.

The Spaniard is the driving force behind the best English side this season, with a particular emphasis on set pieces, Arsenal rank among Europe’s top teams for goals from dead balls, corners included, and a defensive structure that holds up better than its occasional frailty suggests.

Managing the injury situation since January has itself been a feat: the team has kept winning without Odegaard, without Merino, and with Timber available only intermittently.

For the return leg, his task is to set Arsenal up in a more aggressive shape than they showed at the BayArena.

Kasper Hjulmand (Bayer Leverkusen)

The former Denmark national team manager took over a club in disarray following Ten Hag’s brief and chaotic tenure, and he deserves some credit for steadying things.

His Champions League record this season is his strongest work: the 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad in November and the Olympiakos play-off qualification showed his players can raise their level in big games. He builds around a compact 3-4-2-1 and protects his defensive shape well.

But with Garcia likely absent, Terrier doubtful, and an already-long list of unavailable players, his options are restricted. He needs to find a way to create a goal threat quickly, or risk his side being overwhelmed by the tempo Arsenal will impose at the Emirates.

Tactical preview

Arsenal should set up in a 4-3-3 with Gyokeres as an isolated centre-forward, supplied through active wide channels.

The central question for Arsenal is how the midfield functions without Odegaard. Rice and Zubimendi form a balanced pair but lack a genuinely creative presence between the lines. Eze has filled that role in recent weeks but is out of form.

The option of Havertz at number ten is a possibility, as is the Saka experiment in central midfield to free up the right flank for Madueke. Either way, the aim will be to exploit the space in behind Leverkusen’s back three quickly, the Germans have been vulnerable on transitions throughout this competition.

Leverkusen should retain their 3-4-2-1, which shifts into a 3-2-5 in possession with both wing-backs pushed high. Grimaldo on the left is the primary danger: 43 per cent of Leverkusen’s chances created in the Champions League this season have come from his side. If Arsenal’s right-sided defender, Timber or Mosquera, is left isolated against him, space will open.

The problem for Leverkusen is that they need to produce more going forward than they managed in the first leg, which forces them to take risks that Arsenal are well-equipped to punish on the counter. Leverkusen have conceded four goals on quick transitions in ten league phase games, among the most exposed records in the competition. For a side that presses high and moves the ball forward fast, Arsenal have a clear blueprint to follow.

Set pieces remain a genuine threat at both ends. Arsenal are the best in the competition in this department this season. Leverkusen hurt them from a corner in the first leg. One lapse on a dead ball can change everything in a tie like this.

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