Matchday news #B04ARS: Double reunion in Round of 16 first leg against flawless Gunners

Next Gig with SoD Unplugged Ticket

True to the motto ‘Sound of Dreams - #aCROSS Europe 2025/26’, the Werkself will turn the UCL into a festival in the Champions League Round of 16 tie - and the fans will be there . Even before the match, fans can get in the mood for the UCL thriller in and around the BayArena with activities such as an SoD photo station and an exciting live surprise in front of the east stand on Bismarckstraße.

As with the play-offs against Olympiacos, a stylish SoD Unplugged ticket awaits Bayer 04 Club members at the Fanwelt in the south stand of the BayArena for the games against Arsenal. This is available up to and including Saturday, 22 March - Club members can once again take part in a competition using the QR code printed on the ticket and, with a bit of luck, will soon be able to call a unique record signed by the Werkself players in the Sound of Dreams look their own. Further information can be found HERE.

#B04ARS: match facts

After three Champions League games unbeaten without conceding a goal, the Werkself could pick up a fourth clean sheet in a row for the first time in this competition. However, Arsenal - the Premier League leaders - have been extremely confident and prolific in the UCL campaign so far: The Gunners finished top in the league phase winning all eight games with an overall goal difference of 23 to 4 - the most goals scored and the fewest goals conceded of all the teams taking part. Historically, the north London club have had mixed fortunes to date in UCL games on German soil: They have been knocked out by Bayern Munich in four Round of 16 ties and one quarter-final, with the Werkself being the English side's first German knockout opponent after the record champions from Munich.

The Gunners fielded a real star ensemble in the two previous encounters with Bayer 04: In the 2001/02 group stage, the Black and Reds had to deal with Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Sol Campbell, among others. But coach Klaus Toppmöller's team also had four current honorary captains on the pitch: Ulf Kirsten, Bernd Schneider, Carsten Ramelow and Jens Nowotny. After a last-minute equaliser by Kirsten to make it 1-1 at home, Leverkusen lost 4-1 in London.

focus on the Gunners 

The current squad under coach Mikel Arteta is also full of stars. In addition to former Leverkusen players Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie, the spine of the team consists of centre-back Gabriel, midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi as well as the prolific attackers Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyökeres. The Gunners will have to manage without captain Martin Ödegaard, among others. Nevertheless, the English side also boast a high level of quality across the board - just as decisive a factor in their unblemished record in the Champions League to date is their strength at set-pieces. The north London side have yet to go behind in this UCL season. Find out how the Werkself could cause the Arteta side problems in our lowdown on the next opponents.

Havertz: "forever grateful" - praise from Arteta

After Kasper Hjulmand and Christian Kofane for the Werkself (HERE is the pre-match press conference report), Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta and Kai Havertz also took their seats in the BayArena press conference room on Tuesday evening. The Gunners' Spanish coach emphasised that "in the Champions League, it's all about form on the day and individual moments. It will be the same this time." When asked about Havertz's return to Leverkusen, Arteta also said: "He's had some incredible years here. It's nice to see how warmly he was received by everyone here. But I'm not surprised either. If there's anyone who combines humility, patience, love of the game and that competitive spirit, it's him."

Havertz himself emphasised during the press conference: "I've just seen so many familiar faces again. When I walked through the door down here, it felt like it was yesterday. I had such great years at Leverkusen. They gave me so much and made so much possible. I will be forever grateful for that."

#DankeKai: Immediately before the start of the warm-up, Havertz, back at the BayArena for the first time since his departure, will be honoured for his many years of service under the Cross. The 26-year-old joined Bayer 04 as a ten-year-old, made the step up from youth to professional football in 2016 and scored 46 goals in 150 appearances for the Werkself. After moving to Chelsea, he won the Champions League with the Blues in 2021 and he has been playing for Arsenal since 2023.

Werkself Live

Do you want to be well prepared for your opponents from the UK like Bayer 04? Then take a look at the new Werkself Live! The matchday magazine, which provides key facts and stats about the game in compact form, is available at the BayArena. Alternatively, the magazine is also available online. This time on the XXL poster: Edmond Tapsoba. Click HERE for the ePaper.

Turkish-dutch match officials

Umut Meler from Turkey has never refereed a match involving the Werkself. However, when he has refereed games involving a German team, they have won five out of eight times. The 39-year-old will be supported by compatriot assistant referees Ibrahim Caglar Uyarcan and Abdullah Özkara. Dutchman Rob Dieperink is the video assistant referee.

WErkself Radio and live text

As usual, commentators Niko Hartmann and Florian Bechholz will also be on hand to bring you UCL action live on Werkself-Radio. The audio broadcast will begin half an hour before kick-off. And the live text service will also keep you up to date so that you don't miss anything of the match. You can find both the Werkself Radio and the live text updates at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.

travel update: New cycle parking spaces 

Good news for all those who enjoy travelling to the BayArena on two wheels: Bayer 04 has extended the bicycle parking spaces under and by elevated Autobahn, which means that around 300 additional bicycles can now be parked there.

Important for fans travelling by car: Since mid-October, the A59 Autobahn in Leverkusen has been fully closed for around eight months due to roadworks. The closure begins at the Düsseldorf-Süd junction and lasts until the Richrath junction. The Autobahn in the opposite direction will then also be closed. Overall, the closure is expected to last until the end of 2027.