Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal prediction 11.03.2026 | Champions League

Although Bayer Leverkusen are not on the level of the previous two seasons, they are still in contention to finish among the best four teams in the Bundesliga. Kasper Hjulmand's side are only three points behind the desired position, and if Leverkusen suffer the expected defeat against Arsenal in the Champions League Round of 16, they could then shift their full focus to domestic competitions.

The last few weeks were tough for Bayer Leverkusen, as they won only one of the last five matches. In the previous game, they played 3-3 on the road against Freiburg. The teams were pretty even, so splitting points seems the fairest outcome. 

Bayer Leverkusen faces an extremely demanding schedule in the coming days. They will play two matches against Arsenal in the Champions League, with a crucial Bundesliga clash against Bayern Munich in between. Those three matches in six days might define Bayer's season. 

Bayer Leverkusen will be without Arthur, Loic Bade, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Mark Flekken, Lucas, Nathan Tella, and Issa Traore on Wednesday evening. Also, Patrik Schick is questionable, and his status will be clearer closer to the kickoff. 

Arsenal could have a historic 2025/26 season. They are in contention to win all the competitions they entered this year. Also, Mikel Arteta's team is in excellent form. They won nine of the last 11 matches across all competitions. One of the weakest games in the period was the last one, when the Gunners won only 2-1 on the road in the FA Cup against Mansfield. Arteta used the opportunity to rotate the squad, but they still expected a more dominant victory.

Arsenal's manager, Mikel Arteta, wasn't fully satisfied with the most recent outing. He said, "You have to be much more ruthless in front of the goal. We had four or five big open chances that we didn't convert. Then the margin is smaller, and you give the opponent hope. We also made a mistake with the goal. But we had two 16-year-olds in the starting line-up, I don't think that's ever happened. Everybody feels involved. We have the desire that game by game we are closer to the things we can achieve."

Mikel Merino and Ben White are injured and will not travel to Leverkusen, while Riccardo Calafiori, Ifeoluwa Ibrahim, Martin Odegaard, William Saliba, and Leandro Trossard are questionable.