Arsenal's Champions League Clash with Bayer Leverkusen: Injury Updates and Tactical Insights
Arsenal head into Germany this week with the stakes exactly where Mikel Arteta likes them: high, unforgiving and with a few selection puzzles to solve.
Wednesday night’s Champions League last‑16 first leg at Bayer Leverkusen should feel like a showcase for the slick, well-drilled side Arteta has built. Instead, the build-up has turned into a rolling fitness bulletin. The Arsenal manager left Mansfield on Sunday with a place in the FA Cup fifth round, but also with fresh concerns and a growing list of players needing treatment rather than training.
Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes and Martin Zubimendi were all left out of that cup tie, officially to protect them from minor fitness issues. None of the three are thought to be facing anything long term, but in the context of a Champions League knockout game away to one of Europe’s form teams, even “minor” starts to feel like a loaded word.
The win at Field Mill came at a price, too. Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard both walked off with muscular problems, adding to an injury picture that already included Mikel Merino, Ben White and captain Martin Odegaard. Arteta is due to front up on Tuesday and offer some clarity, though with this many moving parts, even he may still be juggling options on the flight to Germany.
William Saliba is another major doubt. The Frenchman has missed Arsenal’s last two matches with an ankle problem and his absence is always felt. When he doesn’t play, the entire back line seems to lose a little of its swagger and certainty. If he is anywhere close to fit, Arteta will be tempted to roll the dice.
Assuming the medical team delivers at least some good news, David Raya is locked in to start in goal. In front of him, the ideal scenario for Arsenal is obvious: Saliba restored alongside Gabriel in central defence, with Jurrien Timber and Piero Hincapie operating as the full-backs. That would give Arteta a blend of aggression, recovery pace and ball progression he trusts on the biggest nights.
If Saliba doesn’t make it, the picture changes. Cristhian Mosquera is the most likely to step in and partner Gabriel, while there is also the option of reshuffling Hincapie inside and turning to youth at left-back. Myles Lewis-Skelly, who finished the game at Brighton in that role, has done enough to at least be part of the conversation. Throwing a teenager into a Champions League last-16 tie away from home is a bold move, but Arteta has never been shy of backing talent if he believes the temperament is right.
Midfield, as so often with this Arsenal side, is the heartbeat. The expectation is that Rice and Zubimendi will be fit enough to start, and if they are, they walk straight back in. Rice’s presence brings structure and authority; Zubimendi offers the metronome passing and press resistance that allows Arsenal to play high and stay there. Together, they give Arteta the platform to squeeze the game into the opposition half.
The third midfield slot is where it gets more interesting. Eberechi Eze has pushed himself firmly into contention with his performance against Mansfield, capped by a superb goal that underlined his ability to conjure something from nothing. He offers a different kind of threat between the lines, more dribbler than conductor, and in a tie where moments of individual quality could define the narrative, that counts.
Kai Havertz is the alternative, and a very plausible one. Arteta trusts the German’s tactical intelligence and work rate, particularly away from home, and Havertz’s ability to arrive late in the box could be valuable against a Leverkusen side that will not sit back. Much may depend on how bold Arteta wants to be in that first leg: lean into Eze’s flair, or opt for Havertz’s structure and off-the-ball discipline.
Up front, the picture is clearer, especially if Trossard fails to recover in time. On the left, Gabriel Martinelli is in line for a significant opportunity. He was a mainstay in last season’s Champions League knockout run and found the net at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid, a reminder that he tends to rise with the occasion. His direct running and willingness to attack space in behind could be vital against a Leverkusen defence that likes to squeeze up.
On the right, there is no debate. Bukayo Saka, fresh from marking his 300th Arsenal appearance with the winner at Brighton, remains the first name on the teamsheet. He carries not just threat but a sense of inevitability; even on quieter nights he finds ways to shape the game, whether through goals, assists or the sheer gravity he exerts on defenders.
Through the middle, Viktor Gyokeres is expected to lead the line. The striker has been in sharp form in Europe, with four goals in the group stage, and offers a rugged, relentless focal point that defenders hate to face. His movement across the line, willingness to run channels and appetite for the physical battle all suit the way Arsenal want to play in these high-tempo, high-stakes fixtures.
Noni Madueke is likely to be held back as an impact option from the bench. His ability to attack tired legs, drive at defenders and change the rhythm of a game gives Arteta a different kind of weapon for the final half-hour, when knockout ties often tilt one way or the other.
Arteta will not show his hand fully until the team sheet drops in Leverkusen, and some decisions will be dictated by what the medical scans say rather than what the tactics board demands. But the outline is already there: Raya behind a defence that may yet need improvising, Rice and Zubimendi anchoring midfield, and a front line built around Saka, Martinelli and Gyokeres.
For Arsenal, this is the kind of night they have been building towards under Arteta: away to an in-form, fearless opponent, in a competition that still defines reputations. The injuries complicate things, but they also strip the occasion back to something simple. Whoever is fit, whoever makes it onto the pitch in red and white, will know this is a chance to plant a flag in Europe and show that Arsenal’s ambitions stretch far beyond the last 16.
