Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen Lineups March 2026 – The Champions League once again presents an exciting clash that is worth anticipating as Arsenal host Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of the round of 16.

This match is certain to be intense because both teams still have the opportunity to advance to the next round.

The match is scheduled to take place at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 20:00 local time.

Arsenal almost suffered defeat in the first leg at BayArena last week, but Kai Havertz showed his instinct at a crucial moment to deny a valuable victory for his former club.

Before this match begins, take a look at the Mansion Sports prediction for the Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen lineups March 2026 below.

Team Conditions Ahead of the Match

Arsenal

Arsenal briefly received a “bitter lesson” from a set-piece situation in Germany. In the first leg last week against Leverkusen, the team coached by Mikel Arteta appeared destined to surrender to Robert Andrich’s header from a corner kick, after Arsenal’s attacking line looked ineffective for almost the entire 90 minutes of the match.

However, two very precise substitutions from the Arsenal coach managed to save the situation.

Noni Madueke, who appeared energetic after replacing Bukayo Saka who was less effective, then managed to win a penalty at the end of the match which was calmly converted by Havertz against his former club.

The German international celebrated his goal in a very modest manner, in contrast to the Arsenal supporters who came directly to the stadium.

Now The Gunners are in a very strong position to reach the quarter-finals for three consecutive seasons, although they lost their perfect winning record in the Champions League this season.

Only one of Arsenal’s last 22 matches in UEFA competitions at home has ended in defeat. That defeat occurred in last season’s semi-final when facing the defending champions Paris Saint-Germain. Arteta’s team recently felt the euphoria again at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Once again having to wait until the end of the match to score, Arsenal managed to defeat Everton 2-0 in the Premier League thanks to a simple goal from Viktor Gyokeres as well as a record-breaking goal from Max Dowman.

That goal helped The Gunners open a nine-point lead over Manchester City whose performance is currently declining.

Bayer Leverkusen

Interestingly, the gap between first and second place in the Bundesliga standings is also nine points, after Bayer Leverkusen indirectly helped Borussia Dortmund in their effort to chase Bayern Munich on Saturday afternoon.

Leverkusen benefited after the champions had to play with nine players, when Luis Diaz and Nicolas Jackson both received red cards.

The team coached by Kasper Hjulmand then managed to hold Vincent Kompany’s team to a 1-1 draw, which further strengthened their reputation as draw specialists.

Five of Leverkusen’s last six matches in all competitions have now ended in draws. However, if they do not plan to surprise Arsenal through a penalty shootout on Tuesday night, then the frequent draws are clearly not enough for the former unbeaten Bundesliga team in North London.

Thanks to their tendency to achieve draws, Leverkusen have lost only once in their last 14 matches in all competitions. However, a record of four victories from their last 10 away matches does not provide much optimism.

In addition, Leverkusen have also never won in their last three competitive matches against Arsenal.

Their only previous visit to Emirates Stadium, which occurred during a pre-season match in 2024, ended in a heavy 4-1 defeat when they were still coached by Xabi Alonso.

Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen Lineups March 2026

Arsenal (4-2-3-1)

Max Dowman, who became the youngest goal scorer in Premier League history on Saturday, is certainly the main highlight.

Because of that, Arteta did not have time to provide an update regarding the condition of Jurrien Timber, who suffered an injury in the first half against Everton.

The Dutch player is now confirmed to be absent in this match together with Martin Odegaard, who has a knee injury, as well as Mikel Merino, who has a foot injury. Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard is expected to return after recovering from a minor injury.

Havertz was given the opportunity to start on Saturday after delivering a decisive performance against Leverkusen, but the former Chelsea player was unable to score again. Therefore, Gyokeres is expected to return as the spearhead of the attack.

Havertz can also actually be played as an attacking midfielder in the number 10 position, a role in which Eberechi Eze has recently performed less effectively.

However, Arteta could also once again try an experiment by playing Bukayo Saka in that position, which would allow Madueke to play in his preferred right-wing position.

Bayer Leverkusen (3-4-2-1)

In the Leverkusen camp, Hjulmand also received two new problems during the match against Bayern Munich, because goal scorer Aleix Garcia who suffered a head collision as well as Martin Terrier who suffered an ankle injury had to be substituted.

However, both Terrier and Garcia were seen participating in the training session on Monday so they are most likely able to appear in the second leg. In addition, Eliesse Ben Seghir who suffered an ankle injury has also returned to training.

Mark Flekken, who has a knee injury, Loic Bade, who has a hamstring injury, Arthur, who has a ligament injury, as well as Lucas Vazquez, who has a calf injury, must still remain sidelined for the German giants.

However, the impressive wing-back Alejandro Grimaldo will return to play after serving a suspension in domestic competition.

This match is predicted to be an exciting contest because Arsenal have the advantage of playing at home as well as high confidence after the result of the first leg.

Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen still have the opportunity to deliver a surprise if they are able to perform more effectively.

By knowing the Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen Lineups March 2026, fans can gain an overview of the strength of both teams before this major Champions League match begins.