Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen LIVE: Champions League match stream, latest score, goal updates and fan reaction | OneFootball

Gunners aiming to seal quarter-final spot after last-gasp draw in Germany

Final preparations: Declan Rice warms up before Arsenal face Bayer Leverkusen

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Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen LIVE!

Arsenal will look to book their place in the Champions League quarter-finals as they host Bayer Leverkusen tonight. The last-16 tie is level at 1-1 after last week’s tense first leg in Germany, where Kai Havertz came off the bench to score a late penalty against his former club and cancel out Robert Andrich’s early second-half header. It was a below-par performance from the Gunners, who fell behind in the competition for the first time this season.

But Mikel Arteta’s side will be strong favourites to advance on home soil and secure a last-eight clash with either Bodo/Glimt or Sporting, having broken down stubborn Everton late on Saturday to extend their Premier League title advantage to nine points as teenager Max Dowman continued to shine. Arsenal remain in contention for four major trophies during what could be a very special finale to the season, though are without Jurrien Timber and Martin Odegaard this evening due to injury as Ben White starts.

Leverkusen head to the Emirates Stadium after drawing with nine-man Bayern Munich in a dramatic contest in the Bundesliga, where they currently sit sixth under Kasper Hjulmand. Follow Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen live below!

Live updates

5 minutes ago

Arsenal prepared for penalties

Mikel Arteta was also asked about preparing for the possibility of penalties tonight...

“We always do, since pre-season,” he said.

Arsenal fans will certainly hope that is not necessary.

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13 minutes ago

Arteta delivers pre-match thoughts

Mikel Arteta has been asked by TNT Sports ahead of kick-off about his decision to start Ben White and Leandro Trossard this evening.

“Yes, we picked a team that is the right one to start and it's a long game,” he said.

“We have the possibility with the finishers to bring them on as well at any time, so let's kick in.

“A big desire obviously [in the team].

“These are the nights that you want to play and you have to put absolutely everything into every action from the first moment to create that belief, that conviction with the crowd and everything to end the right to go through.

“These are the moments and in the competition with the margin that we always have, you have to make something special out of it and that comes down to elevating the individual performance.

“[Leverkusen are] a very well-organised team and I would say they have a lot of strength to be in the position that they are right now, and we have as well, so we're going to have to make that a balance.”

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19 minutes ago

Sporting erase 3-0 deficit against Bodo/Glimt

Arsenal supporters will also be very interested in the early kick-off in Portugal, where Sporting have erased their 3-0 first-leg deficit against Bodo/Glimt thanks to goals from Goncalo Inacio, Pedro Goncalves and Luis Suarez (not that one).

Less than 10 minutes to play, extra time could beckon at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

The winner of that tie of course will play the winner of Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals.

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23 minutes ago

Arsenal fans thrilled with White and Saka reunion

So many Arsenal fans on social media are predicting that Ben White’s return will bring the best out of Bukayo Saka tonight...

33 minutes ago

White and Saka set to rekindle Arsenal partnership

Standard Sport’s Matt Verri at the Emirates Stadium

Four changes for Arsenal tonight and one of those is White coming in at right-back.

Arteta has regularly spoken about how important White is but it's more than a month since he last played.

Gets his chance here and you'd think Saka will be pleased with that.

They've had such a good partnership over the last few seasons.

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37 minutes ago

Bayer Leverkusen unchanged from first-leg draw

Kasper Hjulmand also makes four changes to the Bayer Leverkusen team held to a 1-1 draw by nine-man Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Exequiel Palacios, Alejandro Grimaldo, Ibrahim Maza and Christian Kofane replace Montrell Culbreath, Equi Fernandez, Malik Tillman and Patrik Schick.

Martin Terrier and Aleix Garcia both shake off knocks to start.

It’s the same team as the first leg.

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44 minutes ago

Bayer Leverkusen lineup

Bayer Leverkusen XI: Blaswich, Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba, Poku, Palacios, Aleix Garcia, Grimaldo, Terrier, Maza, Kofane

Subs: Omlin, Lomb, Fernandez, Hofmann, Tillman, Schick, Oermann, Tape, Culbreath

47 minutes ago

Four Arsenal changes as Ben White starts

So Mikel Arteta makes four changes to the Arsenal side that started against Everton.

Ben White is preferred to Cristhian Mosquera at right-back in Jurrien Timber’s absence, with Bayer Leverkusen loanee Piero Hincapie replacing Riccardo Calafiori at left-back.

Leandro Trossard is fit to start after his knock, with Noni Madueke dropping to the bench.

Viktor Gyokeres replaces Kai Havertz up front.

It’s two changes from the first leg, with White and Trossard in for Timber and Gabriel Martinelli.

Max Dowman is on the bench.

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58 minutes ago

Arsenal lineup

Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Rice, Zubimendi, Eze, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres

Subs: Kepa, Ranson, Mosquera, Jesus, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Havertz, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman

1 hour ago

Lineups on the way

The official teamsheets are about to drop at the Emirates.

Stay tuned...

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