Mikel Arteta has made Arsenal one of the toughest teams to beat at home in Europe, which is some achievement given the soft underbelly that Arsenal used to walk around with in the Champions League.

Arsenal have won 13 of their 16 home matches in the Champions League under Arteta, including all four at home this season. This has included notable victories against the likes of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, in which Arsenal dominated and came away convincing winners.

Arsenal’s home form in the Premier League has also been very impressive with no side collecting more points at home than Arsenal in the top flight this term (38). The Gunners have won 12 of their 15 home matches in the Premier League, notably only conceding nine goals across these games. 

Arsenal are going to have concede some ground somewhere this week with this Champions League second leg clash sandwiched between a Premier League clash against Everton and the EFL Cup final against Manchester City.

Arsenal do have quite a deep squad, so Arteta shouldn’t be that averse to rotating the side - but this will inevitably harm Arsenal’s chances in one of these three competitions. There was some of that rotation in the first leg, which saw Leverkusen grow in confidence and get 10 shots away - three of which found the target, drawing two saves from David Raya.

Raya is a really reliable keeper. I wouldn’t explore higher save lines for him, as Arsenal are often able to keep the shot count of the opposition quite low - but in the two or three situations where Raya is called upon, he rarely lets Arsenal and Arteta down.

Leverkusen are still right in this tie, and should feel confident enough to carry an attacking threat in this contest having established a base in the tie from the first leg clash. 

It’s not often that you find a left wingback being the most influential player in a side, but that is the case with Leverkusen and Grimaldo. He’s their main outlet, and has been a real threat in the Champions League this season as Arsenal saw in the first leg with Grimaldo sending in the corner that Andrich headed home.

Grimaldo is on all set pieces for Leverkusen and is a particularly strong option from free kicks. Grimaldo has registered seven goal contributions across his 11 starts in the Champions League this season, more than any other Leverkusen player, taking 20 shots across these matches (1.82 per 90).

Leverkusen look for Grimaldo at almost every available opportunity, so we can expect the majority of their attacking play here to come down Grimaldo’s side. He’s also taken 39 shots across his 21 starts in the Champions League this season (1.95 per 90), netting six goals across these games - showing a consistency to his shot output which can help him get at least one effort away here.

Leverkusen are expected to line up in a 3-4-3 shape here, with Poku operating as a right wing back. He’s usually a winger, and has only been moved to a wingback role this season - which is always a good start when looking to back a wide player for a foul.

Poku does look awkward at times when defending, he can get away with it a bit more in the Bundesliga as there is a more free flowing focus in Germany, but can be found out against this quality of opponent. Poku was up against Martinelli in the first leg, and hauled down the winger once - picking up a yellow card for that challenge.

Poku has committed five fouls across his eight starts in the Champions League this term, working out to an average of 0.63 fouls committed per 90. His main opponent is likely to be Martinelli again, who should feel confident enough to take him on given the success he got against the wing back in the first leg. Martinelli was fouled twice in the first leg, and is averaging 1.33 fouls won per 90 in the Champions League this season.

Kai Havertz scored the penalty to earn Arsenal a 1-1 draw in Leverkusen last week, and could be pivotal for Arsenal in the final stretch across various competitions. Havertz is the type of player who shows up in big moments, his biggest came in the Champions League a few seasons ago as he scored the goal to secure Chelsea the trophy.

Havertz has battled with injuries all season, but now looks close to full fitness and can be a crucial player for Arsenal in the run in. Havertz’s injury issues mean that he hasn’t featured that regularly for Arsenal this season, but has saved his impact for the Champions League with two of his three goals this campaign coming in the competition. This selection would have also landed via Super Sub over the weekend with Gyokeres coming on for Havertz and scoring.

Furthermore, Havertz netted four goals across just six starts in the Champions League last season - once again showing how suited Havertz is to the competition. He also has the extra storyline of lining up against his former club here, which could help spur him on to find the target in this clash.

I thought Christian Kofane was one of the best players on the pitch in the meeting between the sides last week. He had two shots in the contest, one of which found the target, and was generally a reliable player for Leverkusen to aim for when they needed to relieve what was relentless Arsenal pressure.

They’ll need his ability to hold up play even more here given the extra dominance that Arsenal tend to have in their home games. Kofane has netted five goals across just nine starts in the Bundesliga this season, managing 17 shots on target across these games (1.54 per 90), from an overall shot volume of 36 (3.26 per 90).

Martin Zubimendi has been a crucial piece of the puzzle for Arsenal this season, with his focus on the uglier parts of the game allowing for Arsenal to dominate games by freeing up the likes of Declan Rice and the fullbacks to go forward.

Zubimendi isn’t the most imposing figure, but he is very tenacious with his challenges. This was the case in the first leg which saw Zubimendi pick up a yellow card and have exactly three foul involvements. The tactical set up from Leverkusen also aids this angle, they play with a 3-4-3 - meaning that Zubimendi is likely to field threats from both the two midfielders in front of him, and the trio of forwards behind him.

Zubimendi is averaging 2.94 foul involvements per 90 in the Champions League this season, with the bulk of these being fouls committed (2.35 per 90). He can be a central figure when it comes to foul exchanges again here, with Leverkusen expected to keep things quite tight in central areas.