- Arsenal’s Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday will start earlier than any other game
- The Premier League leaders will be away at BayArena for the first leg of the round of 16 after winning every match in the league phase.
- The game will start at 8:45pm Kenyan time, before other games, including PSG vs Chelsea, Real Madrid vs Man City, start at 11pm
Arsenal will start chasing the Champions League again tonight when they play with Bayer Leverkusen away in the first leg of the round of 16.
Source: Getty Images
The clash will bring two teams unbeaten in their respective leagues all season, with Leverkusen coming in soon under Xabi Alonso.
Arsenal qualified for the playoffs after winning all their games in the league phase, while Leverkusen qualified for the playoffs after finishing 16th.
Why Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal will start early
The game will start earlier than other games scheduled for Wednesday, which depends on broadcast schedules.
Champions League games often start late at night (11pm), but since 2021, UEFA has allowed some games to start earlier, as TalkSPORT reports. Having two playing times increases viewership as broadcasters can schedule more games in the time slot.
This, in turn, increases revenue for clubs and broadcasters as more games are selected for live TV.
The Arsenal game is the chosen game for 8:45 pm, as is Galatasaray vs Liverpool which started early Tuesday.
Next week, it will be Sporting Lisbon hosting Bodo/Glimt and Barcelona at home against Newcastle who have been selected to play at 8:45 p.m.
After Arsenal finish at the BayArena on Wednesday, the rest of the games will kick off at 11pm, leaving spectators spoiled for choice.
In France, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will welcome world champions Chelsea, while in Spain, record champions Real Madrid meeting famous people in Manchester.
Summary about the match between Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal
The Gunners will go into this game on the back of a four-game winning streak, while Leverkusen have won just once in their last five games.
Mikel Arteta has reminded his team that there is no room for mistakes now in the knockout stage.
“You start the second part of the campaign, and you know what is at stake. We start playing games where you are, or you are out, there is no room to maneuver, and we will meet a very difficult match tomorrow against a very good team,” he said.
8 players to miss the match between Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal
Both managers will be missing some players, but it is the hosts who have a long injury list.
Mark Flekken and Nathan Tella have resumed training, but the game may come too soon for them.
Arsenal have their captain, Martin Odegaard, out along with long-term absentee Mikel Merino.
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