After a late penalty rescued a draw in Germany, Arsenal head into the second leg with the advantage of playing at the Emirates — but also a reminder that Leverkusen can hurt teams that sit too deep. The Gunners must be patient without being passive, and avoid giving the visitors space to counter.

A big part of the solution will be controlling the midfield. Declan Rice’s ability to break up play and feed the front three will be crucial, especially because Leverkusen will look to get the ball into the feet of Florian Wirtz and Moussa Diaby in transition. If Arsenal can keep the tempo high without losing composure, they should be able to find openings.

Leverkusen, meanwhile, will set up to frustrate and then spring forward. Their best chance is to force errors around the Arsenal box and use rapid wide combinations to create shooting opportunities. Arsenal do not need to overcommit; a smart, controlled approach that still offers enough urgency could be enough to settle it.

Predicted lineups (as per recent match previews):

Arsenal (predicted, 4-2-3-1): Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapié; Zubímendi, Rice; Saka, Eze, Martinelli, Gyökeres.

Bayer Leverkusen (predicted, 3-4-2-1): Blaswich; Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba; Poku, Palacios, García, Grimaldo; Tillmann, Hofmann; Schick.

Notes: lineups are projections ahead of kick-off and may change depending on fitness and late team news.