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There wasn’t a great deal between the two sides in the first leg, with both the eye test and the stats confirming it was a nip-and-tuck encounter at the BayArena.
Leverkusen took the lead by borrowing a page out of the Arsenal set-piece playbook. A far post corner saw the usual array of grappling and wrestling before Robert Andrich was afforded the freedom of North Rhine-Westphalia to head home.
That goal spurred Arsenal into life. They were the dominant force in the second period, but didn’t manage to break through until the 89th minute – a dubious penalty call for a foul on Noni Madueke allowed Kai Havertz to net from the spot against the club he joined as an 11-year-old.
So, how tight do we think it'll be this time around?
Arsenal v Bayer Leverkusen Tips
Bayer Leverkusen +1.5 Asian Handicap @ 20/21 (bet365)
Arsenal to Score in the First Half @ 4/9 (bet365)
Kai Havertz to Score Anytime @ 7/5 (bet365)
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
Playing the Prices
Arsenal were priced at 21/50 to defeat Everton on Saturday.
Fast forward to Tuesday’s game and the Gunners are 3/10 (at the time of writing) to beat Leverkusen inside 90 minutes; the imposition from the bookmakers being that Everton, somehow, had a better chance of getting a result against Arsenal than the former German champions.
It’s a concept that is hard to agree with, so going by that mental gymnastics, it would be reasonable to argue that Leverkusen offer a smidgen of value here.
We won’t put them up to win or even draw the contest, but a +1.5 Asian handicap – which will pay out even if the Germans lose by a single goal – seems a fair proposition.
Tip: Bayer Leverkusen +1.5 Asian Handicap @ 20/21 (bet365)
Explanation: This bet lands if Leverkusen win, draw or lose by a one-goal margin.
Early Birds
Here’s a fun fact: Arsenal never trailed in any of their eight group phase games in this competition.
Of course, it helps that they won all eight – scoring 23 times, so while we’ve promoted the chances of Leverkusen in our first tip, that’s not to say that we don’t want Mikel Arteta’s men on board too.
Here we’re giving one of the best teams on the continent 45 minutes, plus injury time, to score on home soil against a side that conceded 14 goals in eight Champions League games in the opening phase.
Tip: Arsenal to Score in the First Half @ 4/9 (bet365)
Explanation: To land, Arsenal have to score at least once at any time during the first half.
Blast from the Past
It’s somewhat ironic that a player who spent a decade at Leverkusen as man and boy would break their hearts in the closing stages of the first leg.
That penalty extended Kai Havertz’s fine record in the Champions League; he’s scored in five of his last six games in the competition.
The German may start on Tuesday, but even if he doesn’t, he’s shown an aptitude for finding the net as a substitute all the same.
Tip: Kai Havertz to Score Anytime @ 7/5 (bet365)
Explanation: Havertz simply has to score (in normal time) for this bet to land.
Arsenal v Bayer Leverkusen: Match result odds
Bayer Leverkusen: 17/2 (bet365)
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The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.