Arsenal suffered a blow ahead of their clash with Ajax when veteran centre-back Martin Keown had to pull out with a back injury, but manager Arsene Wenger restored Gilberto Silva, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry to the starting line-up after Saturday's FA Cup triumph against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Both teams started the match on four points apiece at the top of Group B after their first two matches in the second group phase and they will meet again in Amsterdam next Wednesday.
Bergkamp who played for Ajax for six years from 1986 and came through the club's famed academy, faced the current Dutch double-winners as an opponent for the first time.
Meanwhile, Bobby Robson put his faith in young guns Shola Ameobi and Lomana LuaLua as he looked to launch his 70th birthday celebrations in style in Germany tonight.
The England Under-21 international and his Congalese strike partner took over from the suspended Alan Shearer and Craig Bellamy, and were charged with the task of firing their side to a first Champions League Group A victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
They represented two of three changes to the side which started the 1-1 Barclaycard Premiership draw with Arsenal last Sunday with Gary Speed - who replaced the injured Nolberto Solano at half-time in that game - returning to the starting line-up after surgery to repair a hernia.
New Leverkusen coach Thomas Horster, appointed following the dismissal of Klaus Toppmoller on Sunday, named just three of the men who lined up for the 2-1 home defeat by Hansa Rostock 24 hours earlier.
Goalkeeper Jorg Butt, Brazilian defender Cris and German international striker Oliver Neuville were the survivors - although Turkish international Yildiray Basturk was included after serving a one-match domestic ban.
Arsenal: Seaman, Lauren, Campbell, Cygan, Cole, Wiltord, Silva, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp, Henry. Subs: Taylor, Jeffers, Parlour, van Bronckhorst, Edu, Kanu, Stepanovs.
Ajax: Lobont, Trabelsi, Chivu, Pasanen, Van Damme, Pienaar, Galasek, De Jong, Maxwell, Van der Meyde, Ibrahimovic. Subs: Didulica, Bergdolmo, Witschge, Sneijder, Yakubu, Boukhari, Seedorf.
BayerLeverkusen: Butt, Preuss, Cris, Simak, Basturk, Franca, Balitsch, Ojigwe, Brdaric, Neuville, Kleine. Subs: Starke, Zivkovic, Vranjes, Babic, Kaluzny, Schneider, Callsen-Bracker.
Newcastle: Given, O'Brien, Jenas, Dyer, Speed, Hughes, Bramble, LuaLua, Ameobi, Robert, Bernard. Subs: Harper, Acuna, Griffin, Cort, Kerr, Chopra, Caldwell.