Bayer Leverkusen poke fun at Arsenal ahead of Champions League tie with cheeky post on X as Germans brace themselves for set-piece onslaught in knockout clash

Bayer Leverkusen are preparing for a set-piece onslaught from visitors Arsenal ahead of their Champions League clash on Wednesday night, if their latest post on social media is anything to go by.

The Germans host the high-flying Premier League leaders this evening in their Round of 16 fixture with Arsenal the bookies’ favourites having strolled through the league phase earlier this season.

Mikel Arteta‘s side have proved themselves to be ruthless competitors in both penalty areas, and have seen off countless opponents with their prowess attacking corners and free kicks.

And ahead of their meeting, Leverkusen jokingly shared an image on their X account with a sign by the corner flag reading: ‘No corners allowed!!!’

‘Worth a try’, was the caption accompanying the post.

The Germans had earlier poked fun at Arteta’s bizarre antics on Amazon Prime series All or Nothing in 2022, in which he attempted to inspire his team by showing them a shining lightbulb as an example of how ‘connected’ they should be.

The Gunners have proven adept at capitalising on set-piece opportunities this season

The Leverkusen social media admin shared a video in which he proceeded to tape over every light switch in the away dressing room in a desperate attempt to unsettle the Arsenal boss.

The video has been viewed over four million times at the time of publication.

Arteta was fully focused on the challenge that faces the Gunners on Wednesday night, with huge excitement building in the fanbase as the team inch closer to a first league title since 2003-04. 

‘The only thing you can take is game by game and try tomorrow to be better than the opposition and earn the right to win,’ he said. 

‘We always talk about that. Obviously we play so many games in different competitions – in the next three games we’re going to play in three different competitions, against completely different opponents. 

‘You have to adapt to that. You have to, very early in the match, understand what the game is going to require, adapt to it and be better than them.’