Arsenal head into the Rhineland on Wednesday night chasing more than just a result. A trip to face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League last 16 is the sort of tie that can define a season, and Mikel Arteta knows it. The question, as he pieces together his plans, is who he can actually count on.
The FA Cup win at Mansfield was supposed to be a straightforward tune‑up. Instead, it turned into a medical bulletin. Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes and Martin Zubimendi were all left out with minor fitness concerns, decisions Arteta framed as precautionary. Then came fresh problems: Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard both departed with muscular issues, adding two more names to an already crowded treatment room.
Arteta is expected to clarify the situation in his pre‑match press conference on Tuesday, but the outline of his thinking is already visible. The Mansfield XI was heavily rotated; in Germany, the big guns return.
If William Saliba’s ankle holds up after missing the last two games, he will be thrown straight back into the heart of defence. The Frenchman’s partnership with Gabriel has underpinned Arsenal’s season, and this is no night to experiment if it can be avoided. Behind them, David Raya is nailed on to come back in, his composure with the ball and big‑game experience making him the obvious choice between the posts.
The full‑back positions are more fluid. Jurrien Timber and Piero Hincapie are in line to operate on the flanks, giving Arsenal balance: Timber’s control and timing on one side, Hincapie’s aggression and ability to tuck in on the other. If Saliba doesn’t make it, though, that back line could be redrawn. Cristhian Mosquera is the likeliest to step in alongside Gabriel, while there remains a possibility that Hincapie shifts inside with academy prospect Myles Lewis‑Skelly trusted at left‑back, a combination Arteta briefly turned to late on at Brighton.
Midfield, as ever with this Arsenal side, is the hinge on which everything turns. Rice and Zubimendi are being treated as key returnees; if both are passed fit, they start. Rice’s presence is non‑negotiable in a game of this magnitude, his ability to plug gaps, win duels and set the tempo vital against a Leverkusen team that like to swarm and suffocate. Zubimendi’s calm distribution and awareness would give Arsenal a second organiser in the middle of the pitch.
The third midfield slot is where Arteta has a genuine decision. Eberechi Eze did his cause no harm with a brilliant strike at Mansfield, reminding everyone why the club were so keen to bring his creativity into the squad. His ability to glide past players and unlock tight defences could be priceless in a cagey European tie. Yet Kai Havertz is also pushing for a start, offering height, pressing and a knack for arriving in the box at the right moment. Arteta may be tempted by Eze’s form, but Havertz’s Champions League know‑how will be hard to ignore.
If Trossard doesn’t recover in time to travel, Gabriel Martinelli is in line for a significant opportunity on the left. The Brazilian thrived in last season’s knockout stages, scoring at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid, and his direct running could unsettle a Leverkusen back line that likes to play on the front foot.
On the opposite flank, 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. The England international continues to carry a heavy creative and goalscoring burden, and Arsenal will look to him again to provide the spark in the final third.
Through the middle, Viktor Gyokeres is set to lead the line. The forward has been in sharp form in Europe, with four goals in the group stage, and this is exactly the sort of stage he was signed for: hostile away ground, high stakes, thin margins. His movement across the front line and willingness to run channels should give Saka and Martinelli – or Trossard, if he makes it – room to operate.
Noni Madueke is likely to be kept in reserve, but his role from the bench could be crucial. With five substitutions available, Arteta has often used his wide options to change the rhythm of games late on, and Madueke’s directness and unpredictability offer a different kind of threat against tiring defenders.
Injuries and niggles mean Arteta will spend the next 24 hours juggling scenarios, sketching out versions of his XI with and without Saliba, with and without Trossard, with Eze or with Havertz. What won’t change is the scale of the occasion. Arsenal have put themselves back among Europe’s elite; now comes the hard part – proving they belong there when the nights get serious.
