Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen: Champions League preview, predictions and bet builder tips

• Ladbrokes previews Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

• Leverkusen held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at home in the first leg last week, but Ladbrokes is tipping Mikel Arteta's side to win at home this time around.

• Ladbrokes is also tipping Viktor Gyokeres, having come off the bench to score against Everton at the weekend, to register a shot on target.

Ladbrokes runs you through our preview of Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen as the Gunners continue in their pursuit of a historic quadruple.

In the eyes of some, Arsenal are somewhat lucky to walk into the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg tie against Leverkusen off the back of a 1-1 draw.

However, back at the Emirates, Ladbrokes' team of experts are expecting Arsenal to get the job done and pick up a vital win.

Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen match details

• Fixture: Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen

• Date: March 17, 2026

• Kick-off: 20:00 GMT

• Venue: Emirates Stadium

Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction

Our prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen

Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen predicted lineups

Arsenal

Our predicted XI (4-3-3): Raya / Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie / Zubimendi, Rice, Eze / Saka, Gyokeres, Madueke

Bayer Leverkusen

Our predicted XI (3-4-3): Blaswich / Andrich, Quansah, Tapsoba / Poku, Palacios, Garcia, Grimaldo / Terrier, Maza, Schick

Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen bet builder tips

Arsenal to win

Arsenal are on a high right now after a 2-0 win at home to Everton on Saturday evening, a few hours before Man City drew 1-1 with West Ham.

The win puts Arsenal in the driving seat in their pursuit of the Premier League title, but Mikel Arteta and co won't be satisfied with just England's top domestic title.

The Gunners also want to challenge in the Champions League, and we don't expect their story to end this week. For the first leg of our Arsenal vs Leverkusen bet builder, we simply can't look past a win for the English side.

Over 2.5 goals

Bayer Leverkusen have played against three English clubs in the Champions League this season, if you count their first leg against Arsenal last week.

The German side beat Man City 0-2 away from home last year, and also drew 2-2 with Newcastle in Germany. Even when playing against some of England's best teams, Leverkusen tend to score.

That explains our 2-1 prediction. While we're tipping Arsenal to win, we do think Leverkusen find the back of the net. Therefore, the second leg of our bet builder is for over 2.5 goals to be scored.

Viktor Gyokeres to have at least one shot on target

Viktor Gyokeres hasn't set the world alight since joining from Sporting Lisbon in the summer, but he definitely has fared better for Arsenal in the Champions League compared to in domestic league football.

Gyokeres has scored six goals in seven Champions League games so far this season, and even if he doesn't find the back of the net on Tuesday night, we do think he tests Leverkusen's keeper with a shot on target.

In Europe, Gyokeres averages 1.4 shots on target per game, so he wouldn't even have to meet his average return for this leg of the bet builder to come in.

With it all to play for, we expect the game to be open and both teams to be on the front foot, so the Swedish striker should find himself on the end of a fair few chances.

Martin Zubimendi to commit at least two fouls

Martin Zubimendi has been a revelation since becoming Arsenal's number six in the summer, but the sheer amount of football that the midfielder has played means that he's beginning to look somewhat tired.

However, we can't see Zubimendi not starting this game, one that we expect him to be heavily involved in.

In the Champions League, Zubimendi averages just shy of five fouls every two games, and we can see this one on Tuesday being particularly back-and-forth.

So, the final leg of our Arsenal vs Leverkusen bet builder features a tip of Zubimendi to commit two or more fouls.

You can bet on each of these markets individually, or combine them to create an Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen Bet Builder, currently priced just shy of 6/1.

With Bet Builder+, you can combine your bet with selections not only with other Champions League matches, but also with different sports.

View the latest football odds here.

All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.