Top team: Arsenal
Arsenal Football Newsletter
The Gunners topped the league phase of this year’s tournament seemingly at a canter, having picked up eight wins from eight games while scoring the most goals (23) and conceding the fewest (four) so far.
Boasting a run of 11 straight games without a loss across all competitions, Mikel Arteta’s men look to be in fine form as they embark on a round-of-16 first leg mission against Leverkusen, who edged past Olympiacos in the knockout stage play-offs to get here.
Undeniably the favourites and with an enviable route to the final, Arsenal have received some positive news on the injury front , which will come as a boost to Arteta - who faces the dilemma of whether to be conservative away from home or go all out in his team selection and strategy now, in a bid to allow some more rests in the return leg days prior to the Carabao Cup final.
Leverkusen finished a mediocre 16th in the league phase and were unconvincing in their two-legged play-off defeat of Olympiacos last month.
However, Kasper Hjulman’s troops from the Bundesliga are unbeaten against English clubs so far this season, having downed Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad and drawn 2-2 with Newcastle, so they should not be underestimated when the action begins at BayArena.
How to watch Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 3, with coverage starting at 5pm GMT ahead of a 5.45pm kick-off.
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Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Matt Verri at BayArena.