Leverkusen hoping to face Arsenal, not Bayern, in Champions League round of 16
| Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images |
A 0-0 draw against Olympiacos on Tuesday was enough for Bayer Leverkusen to secure a 2-0 aggregate victory and advance to the Champions League round of 16.
Their next opponent will be either Bayern Munich or Arsenal, and Die Werkself have a clear preference.
“It would be nice if we drew Arsenal,” Bayer Leverkusen managing director for sport Simon Rolfes told Bild, adding that he hopes for a reunion with former Leverkusen star Kai Havertz, who is now playing for the Gunners.
“Then we could finally bid farewell to Kai Havertz at our stadium – almost six years after his departure. I’ve been in contact with Kai recently. He would also enjoy a reunion. He was keeping his fingers crossed for us to progress.”
Coach Kasper Hjulmand is also hoping to be drawn against Arsenal, noting that Leverkusen will already face Bayern Munich twice in the next month – once in the Bundesliga and once in the DFB-Pokal.
“These are two of the best teams in Europe; they play at the same level. That’s fantastic. We want to play against the best. We’re looking forward to this big challenge. Four games in one month against Bayern? With Arsenal, there would maybe be a bit of variety,” Hjulmand said.
