Don’t let that fool you into thinking Leverkusen will be a pushover though. Our Group D opponents are top of the German Bundesliga with more goals than any other German side, and they go into tomorrow’s game on the back of a sensational 4-0 win over title rivals Borussia Dortmund at the weekend.

Only one team (Juventus) have stopped them scoring in the Champions League this season. And while they can't match Arsenal's record of having scored in every league game, they've only failed to score in two of their Bundesliga games.

Leverkusen have some worries over the fitness of their influential skipper Jens Nowotny, but their manager Klaus Toppmöller is adamant his captain will play through the pain of a knee injury. Toppmöller also has Bernd Schneider available after the midfielder was forced to sit out the Dortmund match through suspension.

Arsene Wenger’s planning has of course been hit by a combination of injuries and suspensions. Both Luzhny and Parlour will miss out through suspension. Adams, Keown, Cole, Upson and Ljungberg are all injured and, despite claims on his own website that he might be fit, Gio also looks unlikely to make the game.

Thanks to Bob at Opta for the Leverkusen stats.

Rupe adds...
Arsenal.com confirm that Gio has failed to recover in time.