Arsenal vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more

Arsenal FC will face Bayer 04 Leverkusen in a Club Friendly match at the Emirates Stadium in London. The fixture will take place on Wednesday, August 7, beginning at 22:30 IST.

Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Arsenal News & Current Form:

Finally, Arsenal are now qualifying for the UEFA Champions League without significant issues, a feat they struggled with for several consecutive years. Their ambitions have grown to the point where they are now genuine title contenders.

The team finished second in the Premier League for the second consecutive year, having taken the lead at times and holding a strong chance for the coveted title. There is no doubt that in the upcoming season of the English championship, Arsenal will once again aim for the top spot. They have retained their head coach, all key players remain, and they continue to strengthen the squad. Notably, Mikel Arteta is committed to his strategy of progressive attacking play, maintaining a pressing system that attacks both through the flanks and the centre.

During their pre-season preparations, the Gunners have played three friendlies. They defeated AFC Bournemouth and Manchester United FC, and both matches ended with a score of 2:1. However, in their latest pre-season friendly tournament match in the USA, the Londoners lost to one of the main rivals Liverpool FC – 2:1. The game started quickly with goals from Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho giving the Reds a significant lead. Kai Havertz replied just before half-time, but the opponents’ solid defence held firm in the second half. The defeat, inflicted by Arne Slot, was the collective’s first in an otherwise positive pre-season.

While in the USA, Arsenal’s management confirmed the signing of defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna FC 1909 for £42 million. He may make an unofficial debut for the Gunners, having missed the game against Liverpool. Arteta mentioned his plan to gradually integrate the new signings.

Kai Havertz scored the only Arsenal goal in the USA meeting with Liverpool FC

Over the weekend, UEFA EURO finalists Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale, and David Raya returned to training, as did William Saliba. All four are expected to participate on Thursday, although Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu are injured. 

Young talents like Ayden Heaven, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly have had opportunities to impress this summer, but none are expected to feature in the first team in the upcoming fixture, as the coach will likely field the strongest possible line-up.

The team will also face Olympique Lyonnais of France in the Emirates FA Cup at their home stadium next weekend. And very soon, on 17 August, Arsenal will start the new Premier League season with a match against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.

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Bayer News & Current Form

Bayer 04 Leverkusen achieved something incredible and seemingly impossible last season. Not long ago, they were fighting for survival in the top division and dreaming of titles seemed out of reach, as even in successful years, they found ways to falter and miss out on trophies. Then, Xabi Alonso took over as head coach, elevating the Black and Reds to a new level.

Over the past year, they won the Bundesliga for the first time in their 120-year history. They truly dominated the German championship last season, finishing 17 points clear of their closest rival. Additionally, they triumphed in the DFB-Pokal, narrowly defeating 1. FC Kaiserslautern, and reached the UEFA Europa League final, where they were ultimately beaten by Atalanta BC (3:0).

Following a season in which Leverkusen set a new record for the longest unbeaten streak among European clubs, the Pharmacists are confidently navigating their current pre-season. Alonso’s side defeated Rot-Weiß Essen with a score of 2:1 and then drew with RC Lens, taking the lead twice but conceding each time to settle for a draw (2:2).

The Bundesliga champions are awaiting the return of defenders Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo from their post-Euro break, while 19-year-old midfielder Matija Marsenic is recovering from a cruciate ligament injury and might only make the bench. Defender Jonathan Tah has been linked with a move to FC Bayern Munich, but he played in the match against Lens and is likely to travel to London, as negotiations with the team of Vincent Kompany appear to have stalled. Over the summer, the German team has not only retained its leaders but also signed Aleix Garcia, Jeanuel Belocian, and Martin Terrier.

Granit Xhaka will return to the stadium, where he spent 7 years wearing an Arsenal jersey

Up next for the German champions is another friendly against Real Betis. Bayer also kick off their official season on 17 August with the DFL-SuperCup against VfB Stuttgart. A week later, on 23 August, they will play their first Bundesliga match against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Arsenal form guide: W-D-L

Bayer form guide: W-D

Arsenal vs Bayer Head-To-Head Record:

• February 19, 2002: Bayer Leverkusen 1 – 1 Arsenal (UEFA Champions League);
• February 27, 2002: Arsenal 4 – 1 Bayer Leverkusen (UEFA Champions League).

Arsenal vs Bayer Predicted XI:

Arsenal’s possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Hein; White, Timber, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Havertz; Nelson, Jesus, Martinelli.

Bayer’s possible starting lineup (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Hincapie; Tella, Garcia, Xhaka, Belocian; Wirtz, Terrier; Boniface.

Statistical preview of the match Arsenal vs Bayer:

• The total value of Lonndoners’ squad is 1.17 bln euros, while the total of the German squad comes up to 667 mln euros.
• Arsenal’s First XI average age is 25.9 years, and Bayer’s First XI average age is 25.6 years.
• Arsenal have won seven of their last nine matches and scored at least two goals in six of their last nine matches. 
• The Gunners have never lost to Leverkusen before.
• Bayer lost only 1 match out of the last 59, winning 48 times.
• Arsenal and Bayer were among the most prolific teams in all top leagues last season. Londoners have accumulated 91 goals in 38 matches (2.39 average per game), while Leverkusen have scored 89 goals in 34 rounds (2.62 average per game). 
• In its last 5 matches, Bayer have managed 3 victories. In these duels, they have scored 7 goals and conceded the same number of times.

What has been said before the match:

Former player of the Gunners Granit Xhaka about keeping in touch with his ex-teammates and the special atmosphere at Emirates stadium:

“Of course, it is special to go back to where I played for seven years. I had a brilliant time at Arsenal and I’m still in daily contact with a lot of players and the staff. From the team that’s Thomas Partey, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus above all. Over the past few weeks, I’ve not been able to talk to them about the game but I have in the past few days. I’m looking forward to seeing them all again.”

“It’s a special stadium with a special feeling and typical English atmosphere. It gets extremely loud when the home team makes good moves. The Arsenal fans are definitely looking forward to a match at the highest level as are our fans. From a football perspective, we’ll face a very strong opponent and that’s a huge challenge for us – but also for Arsenal of course.”

According to the Swiss, the perception of the German collective is different in England:

“The English see Leverkusen with different eyes after last season and the perception is completely different. Specifically for the friendly, the two trophies last season don’t bring anything. In this part of the preseason, it’s primarily about all players staying fit, us going to the limit in every friendly and getting into the rhythm of matches at the highest level.”

“The connection between Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso is remarkable for professional football. They grew up together in the same city San Sebastian. They have their ways and their characters but fundamentally follow the same approach to the game. They want to play football and exert pressure on the opposition both on and off the ball. I’m sure both of them will have a great future as coaches.”

Arsenal vs Bayer Prediction:

Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen will be among the most intriguing projects of the top-5 leagues in Europe in the coming season. The Gunners had productivity struggles in the first half of the EPL last season, but they have scored 55 goals in the last 20 rounds (2.75 average per game). The Black and Reds have been scoring a lot too – 89 goals in 34 rounds in the Bundesliga 23/24, which is 2.62 per game on average. The opponents will produce a high-scoring performance in the face-to-face encounter. 

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Arsenal will not lose and the match total will be over 1.5 – Yes.

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