Alex Howell
BBC Sport Arsenal reporter at BayArena

A big night for Kai Havertz as he returns to the BayArena.

The German international started his career at Bayer Leverkusen and left the club to sign for Chelsea in 2020.

Havertz spoke at the pre-match press conference about how he had seen some familiar faces on his return.

The forward has also had a stop-start season with injury but said that he feels that he is ready to have an impact for the Gunners as it gets towards the important part of the season.

There's due to be a presentation to Havertz before the game from his former club as they welcome him back.

Gabriel Martinelli could join very exclusive company this evening. If the Brazil winger scores he would equal the seven goals that Thierry Henry netted in 2002-03 to become Arsenal's joint-highest scorer in a Champions League campaign.

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David James
Former England goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

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On Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky being subbed off after 17 minutes:

The whole situation was very bizarre. Had Igor Tudor known Antonin Kinsky for a longer period of time, then you think he would understand him and empathize with him in some way.

At 3-0 down after 16 minutes, Tudor was thinking about his future which naturally you would. But without that relationship between them, he was thinking more about self-preservation.

If Kinsky had stayed on the field and Tottenham lost 7-0, that would have been a career-wrecker. As much as it will have hurt this morning, Kinsky will think better of it in the longer term.

It has rained all day in Leverkusen and it is forecast to continue into the evening.

So the surface should be pretty slick tonight and a joy for the forward players. And let's face it, a big European tie under the lights, is the sort of occasion all top footballers live for.

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David James
Former England goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

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On Igor Tudor’s man-management:

It was poor. As a manager, I have substituted a player after 22 minutes because the game had started badly. I knew the player for longer and I spoke to him afterwards. People make decisions in the heat of the football battle.

Hopefully Tudor had a deep conversation with Kinsky afterwards and the reason for the action was explained. Kinsky needs to understand where his coach was at.

Will Wednesday work out to be better than Tuesday for English teams in the Champions League?

With Liverpool losing 1-0 at Galatasaray and Newcastle being held to a 1-1 draw at home after a late Lamine Yamal penalty for Barcelona it was a mixed bag 24 hours ago.

And I've not even got to Tottenham yet, who lost 5-2 at Atletico Madrid and substitued their goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after only 17 minutes.

Paris St-Germain
Paris St-Germain

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Champions League holders Paris St-Germain have fought through a tougher schedule than any other side to reach the last 16 in this season’s competition, according to coach Luis Enrique.

In the league phase, PSG faced Atalanta, Bayern Munich, Tottenham and Newcastle at home with trips to Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Athletic Club and Sporting.

PSG picked up 14 points and came 11th, meaning they had to play Monaco in the knockout play-off, edging past their Ligue 1 rivals 5-4 on aggregate.

"We had an incredible schedule during the group stage, then we continued with these play-offs against Monaco, they're a great team," said Enrique.

“That's the competition of the Champions League, you have to accept it. But we're happy, we know that to win the Champions League you need competition and we're experts at that level."

Manchester City

Manchester City's season is approaching crunch time.

High stakes games everywhere you look over the next few weeks.

• Saturday: West Ham (away) Premier League
• 17 March: Real Madrid (home) Champions League
• 22 March: Arsenal (Wembley) League Cup final
• 04 April: Liverpool (home) FA Cup quarter-final
• 12 April: Chelsea (away) Premier League
• 19 April: Arsenal (home) Premier League

Chelsea

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Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior spent a year and a half managing in France at Strasbourg, guiding them to seventh last season to earn qualification for the Conference League.

He had previously said he thought he had originally been considered a joke in the French press during his time managing Strasbourg but on his return to the country he acknowledged he always felt respected.

“The French media were incredible to me in my time,” he said. “I enjoyed my time in France massively. I enjoyed my time at Strasbourg which I will always hold a place for that club in my heart.

“I will look back and say it was one of the best experiences in my life. I have huge respect for French football, for Ligue 1. I thank everyone involved for giving me the experience that I had.”

'Not another one!'

You can imagine the reaction of Brenda from Bristol, external when Manchester City and Real Madrid were paired against one another once again in Europe.

This is a Champions League fixture that is quickly becoming an annual event.

Tonight's match means the two heavyweights have met 12 times in six years in the competition, while it is a remarkable five seasons on the bounce that they have played one another in the knockout stages.

In total, Real Madrid and Manchester City have met 15 times in the Champions League, with both sides winning five, drawing five and losing five.

What will happen this time?

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Mikel Arteta dismissed talk of his Arsenal side completing a possible quadruple this term prior to Wednesday evening's Champions League fixture at Bayer Leverkusen.

When asked about whether winning the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Champions League had entered his thinking, the Spaniard said: "No. I do not use that phrase. I don't talk about it. I don't know what they talk about when I'm not there, but we all know the difficulty of every competition," Arteta said.

"We are changing from competition to competition every three days and so far we've done well so we need to continue to do that."

Seven points clear of Manchester City at the summit of the English top flight, the Gunners are through to the League Cup final, where they face City, and were drawn to face Southampton in the FA Cup quarter finals on Monday.

"You learn about the things you did well and the reason why you were there, and the things you can improve," Arteta added.

"But every game and every time will be so specific and it can be difficult to replicate. You can have sets of memories, but you have to apply your learnings in that moment. And that window is very small."

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Bayer Leverkusen have progressed from four of their five major European knockout ties against English clubs, failing only against Liverpool in 2004-05 in the Champions League.

Arsenal's only previous European meetings with Bayer Leverkusen came in the second group stage in 2001-02, drawing 1-1 away and winning 4-1 at Highbury.

Arsenal are the only team who haven’t trailed at any point in the Champions League this season (62% winning, 38% drawing of their total match time).

That Gunners have the best xG difference when in a drawing game state of any team in this edition (+8 – 9.4 xG for, 1.4 xG against).

In contrast, Bayer Leverkusen have conceded more shots from high turnovers (26) than any other side in the competition this term.

Only Qarabag (118) have conceded more total high turnovers than the German side (109) in this edition.

Alex Howell
BBC Sport Arsenal reporter at BayArena

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Kai Havertz says he has a "new hunger" for football after a "stop-start" season due to injuries.

The 26-year-old has been restricted to just 10 appearances in all competitions because of fitness issues.

He had two long-term injuries last season with a hamstring injury he picked up on Arsenal's Dubai training camp in February requiring surgery and a knee injury he picked up on the opening day of the season keeping him out for over four months.

"I think for me personally, we all know it was not what I expected it to be, but I always think that things happen for a reason, and now I'm back and I feel good, and I'm happy to have the team again.

"It was stop-and-start, but sometimes football is like this. I haven't really faced a challenge like this before in my career, so I just tried to give everything to be back as soon as I could, and now I'm just happy to be back and be here and help the team," Havertz said.

The Gunners are still chasing trophies in four competitions and Havertz is hoping to play a big part as the season gets to its climax.

The Germany international has featured in Arsenal's last three matches but did suffer a setback in his recovery with a muscle injury he picked up in February.

"For me it was just tough, because I never felt that pain before in my life," Havertz added. "And it just came randomly, but I tried to go through these things.

"Having two surgeries after another is not easy, but I think I'm professional enough to know that this is also part of football sometimes.

"I know that there are so many players out there that went through stages of their career also - and I think I'm still young. So I've got a lot of years hopefully in front of me.

"But obviously mentally it was tough, but I got help from at home, from Arsenal, from the players, so everyone was lifting my spirits.

"During these times, I felt how much I missed being on the pitch, how much I missed being with the boys, that feeling that you have after a game.

"I missed it so much. That's why it was mentally so hard for me, because I couldn't be there. It just gave me a new hunger."

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

It is 20 years since Arsenal reached their only Champions League final but opportunity could be knocking for the Premier League leaders.

Victory against a talented but beatable Leverkusen side, currently sixth in the Bundesliga, would set up quarter-final versus either Bodo/Glimt or Sporting, two of this season's surprise packages.

While competing on four fronts will test the Gunners' squad depth, it's an inviting prospect.

But the bracket could just as easily open up for Leverkusen, who will also be hoping to rekindle some noughties memories of their own. The only previous occasion they reached the last eight of this competition came during their run to the final in 2001–02, when they eliminated two English sides.

Michael Ballack, Lucio and a young Dimitar Berbatov scored in a dramatic win to knock out Liverpool in the quarter-finals, before they edged past Manchester United on away goals in the semis.

The Germans will also draw confidence from November's 2–0 win away to Manchester City, plus their formidable recent defensive record – they have gone over five hours without conceding a Champions League goal.

Should Arsenal advance from this tie Bodo/Glimt or Sporting will lie in wait.

The draw also means the Gunners cannot face the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool, Paris St-Germain, Bayern or Manchester City before the final.

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Arsenal were flawless in the league phase of the competition and were the only side to win all eight fixtures as they finished top to sail into the last 16.

In contrast, Bayer Leverkusen only won three of their matches and suffered a humbling 7-2 defeat at home to Paris St-Germain, meaning they had to navigate a two-legged play-off against Olympiakos to reach this stage.

So that leaves the Gunners as odds-on favourites with the bookmakers to not only win this evening, but also advance from this tie.

But of course anything could happen and this is the first time these two clubs have met in the competition since 2001-02, the year the German club reached the final at Hampden Park, where they were narrowly beaten by Real Madrid after a Zinedine Zidane special.

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Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie was part of the Bayer Leverkusen side that won the Bundesliga and the German Cup without losing a single game during the 2023-24 campaign.

And having joined the Gunners on loan in September, the Ecuador international is back on familiar ground when he faces his parent club this evening.

“(I) sent some messages to the guys from Leverkusen," Hincapie told German newspaper Bild.

“It will be a special situation for me to play against the club where I had such a good time, but that’s football. It will certainly be nice to see everyone again.

“When I arrived in Leverkusen, I only spoke Spanish. Because of that, I was initially too shy to ask the physio for treatment.

“Now I laugh about it. That’s just one example of how much I’ve grown in Leverkusen, both as a footballer and as a person.

“I'm very grateful to the club for allowing me to develop so well there and leave a lasting mark with the double."

Alex Howell
BBC Sport Arsenal reporter at BayArena

Mikel Arteta reverts back to his strongest available XI after the FA Cup match against Mansfield at the weekend.

Eberechi Eze is the number 10 while Gabriel Martinelli, who has six goals in the competition, is on the left wing.

Kai Havertz, who is returning to face his former club, is on the bench. And Piero Hincapie, who is on loan from Leverkusen to Arsenal starts for the Gunners.

Arsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Saka, Martinelli, Gyokeres.

Subs: Arrizabalaga, Ranson, Mosquera, White, Jesus, Norgaard, Madueke, Havertz, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, Salmon.

Striker Patrik Schick is only fit enough for a place on the Bayer Leverkusen bench after only recently returning to team training.

Bayer Leverkusen XI: Blaswich, Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba, Poku, Palacios, Garcia, Grimaldo, Terrier, Maza, Kofane.

Subs: Omlin, Lomb, Fernandez, Hofmann, Tillman, Schick, Oermann, Tape, Culbreath.

The stage is set.

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