Champions League draw: Why Arsenal can use Liverpool as inspiration to create history

The draw for Champions League round of 16 and beyond has been confirmed, and Arsenal will face German side Bayer Leverkusen in a two-legged tie.

The Gunners topped the league phase of this competition and have been handed a favourable draw, although Leverkusen are capable of causing an upset.

Kasper Hjulmand's side won 2-0 away at Olympiacos in the first leg of the playoff round before earning a 0–0 draw at home to progress to the knockout stages, becoming the second German team to reach this phase alongside Bayern Munich.

Arsenal will aim to create a club history by winning the Champions League for the first time, and they can take inspiration from Premier League rivals Liverpool after an interesting statistic emerged today.

How Arsenal can reach the Champions League final

According to a data from Opta Joe, Bayer Leverkusen have progressed from four of their five of their major European knockout ties against English clubs.

The only time they failed to do so came in the 2024–25 season, when they were eliminated by Liverpool, who went on to win the competition.

The Reds won 3-1 in the first leg at Anfield, and repeated the same scoreline in the return leg, where Luis Garcia scored a brace in Germany.

Meanwhile, Leverkusen reacted to the draw by reminding supporters that the last time they faced Arsenal in this competition, they went on to reach the final.

In 2001-02, Leverkusen lost 4-1 against Arsenal at Highbury during the second group stage but still advanced to the Champions League final, where they were beaten 2-1 by Real Madrid.

Arsenal strong favourites to win vs. Bayer Leverkusen

The top eight teams will play the first legs of their round-of-16 ties away from home, giving them home advantage in the return fixtures.

Leverkusen have struggled for form and consistency this season, sitting sixth in the Bundesliga table with 39 points from 22 games, and may need an extraordinary level of performance to beat Arsenal.

If the Gunners progress to the quarter-finals, they will face the winner between Bodo/Glimt and Sporting, and on paper, they would have a favourable path to the semi-finals.