Coach Kasper Hjulmand says his side believe they can cause an upset against the Premier League leaders.
Bayer Leverkusen are under no illusion about the size of the task awaiting them in the Champions League round of 16 tie against Arsenal, embracing their position as underdogs ahead of the first leg at the BayArena on Wednesday.
The German side arrive in reasonable European form, unbeaten in their last three Champions League matches with two wins and a draw, keeping a clean sheet in each. They have never managed four clean sheets in a row in the competition, but I doubt that record will matter if they can pull off a good result in front of their fans despite conceding.
However, their underlying numbers highlight a potential weakness Arsenal may look to exploit. Leverkusen have conceded 26 shots from high turnovers in this season’s Champions League, more than any other team, while only Qarabag have conceded more high turnovers overall with 118 compared to Leverkusen’s 109.
Arsenal are set to be without their captain and chief press conductor – Martin Odegaard missed training ahead of the game – but the Gunners have more than enough to take advantage of any weakness in that area.
Arsenal travel to Germany with an unblemished record so far. Not only have they won eight out of eight, they are the only side yet to trail at any point in the competition this season, spending 62 per cent of their time in the lead and the remaining time level.
Ahead of the match, Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand acknowledged Arsenal’s form but insisted his side believe they can produce an upset.
“Arsenal are maybe the best team in Europe right now,” Hjulmand said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday. “It’s the toughest test, but we are excited by this opportunity. We need to enjoy this game with our fans and bring our best performance,”
“It’s always about looking at the opportunities for me. Things can happen in football. Arsenal are the clear favourites; they’re at the top of their game and have been building a strong team for years,” he added.
“We have 14 new players out of 25 from last season, but we’re building, learning and adapting, and the quality is improving. If we’re sharp, if we play at our best, everyone expresses themselves, and we play with courage – then who knows? The belief is important for us. I always believe we can do it when we go into a game like this.”
Historically, Leverkusen have fared well against English opposition in European knockout ties, progressing from four of their five meetings, their only defeat coming against Liverpool in the 2004-05 Champions League. They have already beaten Manchester City this season, and drew 2-2 at home against Newcastle.
Arsenal’s only previous European meetings with Leverkusen came in the second group stage of the 2001-02 Champions League, drawing 1-1 in Germany before winning 4-1 at Highbury with goals from Robert Pires, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Dennis Bergkamp.
Arsenal’s more recent knockout history against German clubs has largely, and annoyingly, involved Bayern Munich, who eliminated them in the last 16 in 2004-05, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2016-17, and again in the 2023-24 quarter-final.
In fact, the Gunners haven’t enjoyed a great recent record on German soil, losing five of their last six meaning that nothing can be taken for granted as they chase a third successive Champions League quarter-final place.
Bayer Leverkusen v Arsenal officials
Referee
Umut Meler TUR
Assistant referees
Ibrahim Caglar Uyarcan TUR
Abdullah Ozkara TUR
Fourth official
Cihan Aydin TUR
Video Assistant Referee
Rob Dieperink NED
Referee observer
Carlos Velasco Carballo ESP
UEFA Delegate
Adonis Procopiou CYP