Bayer Leverkusen v Arsenal LIVE: Gunners face German strugglers in Champions League last 16 as Gyokeres and Saliba start | OneFootball

(Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Arsenal travel to face Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie this evening, with the Gunners hoping to put one foot in the quarter-finals as they face the struggling German club.

The Gunners remain among the favourites to win the European Cup this season and they will expect to keep their quadruple hopes alive over the next week as they face Leverkusen.

The German side have struggled domestically this term and currently sit in sixth in the Bundesliga, while they edged past Olympiacos in the knockout play-offs after finishing 16th in the league phase.

And while Mikel Arteta will know his side have to put in a professional performance tonight, he’ll be confident of taking a positive result into next week’s second leg at the Emirates.

Match stats

Leverkusen are unbeaten in their last three UEFA Champions League games (W2 D1), keeping a clean sheet in all three.

However, Arsenal are the only team who haven’t trailed at any point in the UEFA Champions League this season.

Chris Wilson11 March 2026 17:30

Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal live

(Getty Images)

(Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Chris Wilson11 March 2026 17:17

The Champions League has eroded the soul of European football – here’s how to fix it

When the draw for the Champions League last 16 was made, there were at least a few Uefa figures who winced. That was because they were anticipating reactions like that of Pep Guardiola, who rightly said it was “a little bit weird” that Manchester City and Real Madrid were facing each other for the fifth consecutive season and sixth occasion in seven years. Some in Uefa counter that comes from the clear logic of the new seeding system, that the clubs voted for.

But what else is likely to happen when it’s mostly the same teams all the time? And now, increasingly, when it’s teams from the same country all the time?

The Champions League has eroded the soul of European football – here’s how to fix it

The powers that be at the Champions League have placed an emphasis on revenue growth above all else, argues Miguel Delaney, but in doing so have lost sight of the magic of the competition and what it represents

Chris Wilson11 March 2026 16:55