Arsenal take on the visitors Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of UEFA Champions League round of 1/8-finals. First leg result: 1-1. The match will be played on Tuesday, March 17th at Emirates Stadium (London).
Arsenal under Arteta have once again become a true giant. What they have been lacking is confirmation of their consistently high level with a major trophy. But last season they again finished 2nd in the Premier League for the third time in a row — while their fiercest rival, Tottenham Hotspur, won the Europa League. Recently Arsenal have continued to show strong form in domestic competitions, regularly collecting points and maintaining pressure on their closest rivals. Their performances at home have been particularly convincing, which has helped them stay firmly in the title race. Now on the domestic stage there is a fierce battle with Manchester City. In the league almost the entire advantage over them has been lost. And soon the two giants will meet in the League Cup final. Against this backdrop, in the Champions League the English side looked flawless: in the main round they won all 8 matches, including against Bayern Munich. Returning to Germany again, they only managed a 1–1 draw, equalizing late from a penalty that still raises questions and debates.
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Bayer Leverkusen understand how important it is to prove themselves here. The Werkself produced an extraordinary 2023/2024 season under Xabi Alonso without a single defeat, and the reward was a historic domestic double. However, they could not retain their debut Bundesliga title even with the Spaniard still in charge. Recently Bayer have begun to show more stable results again, gradually rebuilding confidence after an inconsistent start to the campaign. Their performances in recent weeks suggest the team is capable of competing strongly against high-level opponents. Then the start of the new season was also disappointing after Erik ten Hag was appointed to the position. He was replaced by Hjulmand, and that brought a positive effect. At the very least, in the German Cup they have already reached the semifinals, even if a clash with Bayern Munich may await them there. In the Bundesliga the gap behind the leaders remains large, not only behind Bayern — but the chances of finishing 4th or even 3rd still exist. In the Champions League the Germans gradually found their rhythm, finishing the main round with three victories (including a decisive one over Villarreal in the final round) and 12 points. In February they also took revenge on Olympiacos for a January defeat — 2–0 in Greece and 0–0 at home.
Before this round the clubs had last met almost two decades ago — in 2002 the English side, after an entertaining draw away, won 4–1 at home. The English side still have a noticeably higher level of quality. Yes, the Premier League remains the main priority, but they should also win here with a –1.5 goal handicap.
Prediction for the match: Arsenal to win with -1.5 handicap.
