Arsenal host Bayer Leverkusen in Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg with the tie level at 1-1, as Mikel Arteta’s side look to turn home advantage into a quarter-final place.
Arsenal return to the Emirates on Tuesday night knowing the margin for error has narrowed. The 1-1 draw in Germany left the Champions League last-16 tie finely balanced, with Kai Havertz’s late penalty cancelling out Robert Andrich’s opener and ensuring the second leg in north London will decide who goes through.
Arteta’s side will start with home backing and the psychological lift of recovering from a difficult first leg, but the overall picture is still that of a live tie rather than a comfortable one.
The first leg left Arsenal with work to do
Arsenal’s draw at the BayArena was useful, but not especially smooth. They started well, Gabriel Martinelli hit the bar, then lost control after the break before Havertz rescued the night from the spot in the 89th minute. Afterwards, Arteta admitted there had been “very different periods” to the performance and said his side had not finished enough of the good moments they created.
That is the key issue they now need to solve at home. Arsenal do not need to chase the tie recklessly, but they do need to turn periods of control into clearer damage than they managed for much of the first leg.
Havertz rescues a draw for Arsenal against Bayer Leverkusen (REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay)Team news centres on Arsenal’s absentees again
The main questions before kick-off remain around availability. Martin Odegaard was ruled out of the first leg, and ahead of the Everton game Arteta said Arsenal would still have to “wait and see” on both Odegaard and Leandro Trossard. Neither made the squad against Everton, which keeps both situations in focus going into Tuesday night. There is also fresh concern around Jurrien Timber after he was forced off injured in the 36th minute of the win over Everton, adding another potential issue in defence.
That makes the selection balance important again. William Saliba returned for the first leg and has come through since, while Gabriel Magalhães, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi were all available again before the tie in Germany. Arsenal do at least have options, but they are still navigating a stage of the season where injuries continue to shape the conversation around almost every big match.
Why Leverkusen remain a difficult assignment
Leverkusen’s recent results support the idea that this will not be straightforward. After drawing with Arsenal, they followed up with a 1-1 Bundesliga draw against Bayern Munich despite finishing with nine men, which underlined both their resilience and their capacity to stay competitive in difficult game states. They disrupted Arsenal well after the break, carried threat from wide areas and looked capable of making the tie uncomfortable whenever the rhythm broke down.
That is why this second leg is unlikely to become a simple home control exercise. Arsenal’s European numbers this season have been strong and the Emirates should tilt the atmosphere in their favour, but Leverkusen have already shown they can disturb the structure of the tie. The challenge for Arsenal is to be more decisive with the ball without losing the emotional control Arteta said was needed after the first-leg setback.
Arsenal’s opportunity is clear
With the score level and the Emirates hosting the decisive leg, Arsenal know exactly what is at stake. The quarter-final path already looks more defined than it did a week ago. Bodø/Glimt are 3-0 up against Sporting CP after the first leg, and UEFA’s bracket places the winners of that tie against whoever comes through from Arsenal-Leverkusen. Arsenal cannot afford to look beyond Tuesday, but the route ahead is beginning to take shape.