Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs Arsenal

Bayer Leverkusen [LDDWD] had to take the long road to reach the UCL round of 16, edging past Olympiacos 2-0 on aggregate in the knockout play-off round to book their place in the last 16. Their reward, however, is arguably one of the toughest possible ties, as they prepare to face an in-form Arsenal side. Die Werkself’s domestic preparations were less than ideal, as they were held to a dramatic 3-3 draw against Freiburg in the Bundesliga at the weekend. That result represented a missed opportunity to strengthen their push for a Champions League place next season, though their recent European form has been far more encouraging. However, history at this stage of the tournament is not particularly kind to the German side, who have lost ten of their 12 UCL round-of-16 matches [1W, 1D, 10L]. Encouragingly, Die Werkself have been strong at home in European competition. They have lost only two of their last 19 home matches on the continental stage [11W, 6D, 2L], suggesting they could make life difficult for the visitors. The two sides have only met twice previously in European competition, during the 2001/02 second UCL group stage. On that occasion, Arsenal secured a 1-1 draw in Germany before recording a convincing 4-1 victory in London. Kasper Hjulmand’s preparations have been complicated by several injuries. Patrik Schick has joined a lengthy list of absentees that already includes Nathan Tella, Arthur, Mark Flekken and Eliesse Ben Seghir. Christian Kofane is expected to start upfront in a 3—4—2—1 pattern.

Arsenal, meanwhile, arrive in Germany in strong form [DWWWW]. Mikel Arteta’s side extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 11 matches [9W, 2D, 0L] after edging past League One side Mansfield 2-1 in the FA Cup. The Gunners have been outstanding in the UCL this season, winning all eight of their league-phase matches to finish top of the table [8W, 0D, 0L]. Their away form in Europe has also been impressive, having won eight of their last nine UCL matches on the road [8W, 0D, 1L], a run that underlines their confidence heading into this tie. However, Leandro Trossard, William Saliba, Martin Ødegaard and Riccardo Calafiori remain doubts, while Ben White and Mikel Merino are ruled out. Viktor Gyökeres may lead the line in a 3—4—2—1 formation.