The Chronicles of a Gooner - Arsenal Podcast · AMS Media Limited

Who starts vs Bayer Leverkusen (h)?

March 17, 2026·51 min·4 clips

Arsenal host Bayer Leverkusen needing to finish the job after a contentious 1-1 draw left their Champions League quarterfinal spot in doubt.

Happy Tuesday, and the nerves are already there. Harry starts with Arsenal's Champions League second leg against Bayer Leverkusen, with the tie at 1-1 after a flat night in Germany. He does not dress up that first leg. Arsenal were not battered, but they were not good either, and the equaliser came from a contentious Madueke penalty that changed how the tie felt. That puts Arsenal in a decent position. Decent is not finished, though, and Harry keeps coming back to the danger of treating Bayer Leverkusen like a job already done. He is not trying to drain the confidence out of the room. He thinks Arsenal are stronger and should win if they hit their level. The warning is aimed at the team. Fans can lift the stadium, keep the place useful, and stop it going flat as a pancake if the night gets tense. They still cannot make the decisions. That part belongs to the players, who need to start properly and avoid getting caught cold in a competition that does not hand out much mercy. Harry pulls the point wider than Arsenal for a minute. He brings up Bodo/Glimt dumping Inter out after Inter had reached the Champions League final, because reputation does not help much once the whistle goes. Confidence can become arrogance quickly. That is the line he keeps worrying at, not from a lack of belief, but because belief without a bit of edge can get sloppy. The live chat gives the show its pulse. Thomas and Clock Ender drag him briefly into Chelsea talk, Jeff Butler raises Manchester City, and Harry moves with the room instead of turning the preview into a dry tactical checklist. It sounds like a supporter talking himself through the night: excited, wary, and trying to keep the mood away from panic or swagger. The ask is simple enough. Make the stadium count, respect Bayer Leverkusen, play like Arsenal, and the quarterfinals should be waiting.

As heard by us

A fan-led Arsenal preview that keeps the focus on standards, not comfort, before the Bayer Leverkusen second leg.

This Arsenal preview keeps its eye on the second leg against Bayer Leverkusen and the need to finish the job after the 1-1 draw in Germany. Harry Simi makes the case that Arsenal earned the home return leg through their league-phase form, then circles back to a simple standard:…

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Press play if you want an Arsenal Champions League preview with real stakes and a live-chat feel.

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