Real Madrid face a do-or-die mission on Wednesday night as they look to overturn a crushing 3-0 first-leg defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The reigning champions must pull off the most sensational comeback against the Gunners to keep their chances of retaining the coveted continental crown alive.
Carlo Ancelotti’s troops may have been stunned at the Emirates Stadium, but Madrid are no strangers to defying the odds, especially in the Champions League.
The Santiago Bernabeu is famous for hosting magical comebacks, and it’ll take something truly special for Madrid to fend off Arsenal and advance to the semi-finals.
Whichever side comes out on top in the tie-decider will fancy their chances of going all the way to the showpiece.
UEFA Champions League final tickets are already on sale at Seatsnet.com, and they’ll likely become highly sought-after among fans of whichever side emerges victorious on Wednesday night.
Match Preview
Declan Rice couldn’t have picked a better time to truly live up to his £105 million price tag as he lit up the Emirates with two stunning free-kicks, inspiring Arsenal to a historic 3-0 win against Madrid.
The England international delivered a quick lesson in set-piece brilliance with two incredible strikes in just 12 minutes.
The first goal saw Rice curl the ball neatly around the wall, while the second flew into the top corner, sending the Emirates faithful into bedlam.
Even legendary free-kick specialist Roberto Carlos, watching from the stands, would have been impressed.
Makeshift striker Mikel Merino added to the drama with a powerful first-time finish that may have all but confirmed Arsenal’s place in the semi-finals.
The atmosphere at the Emirates reached fever pitch as fans celebrated what could go down as the most unforgettable night in the stadium’s history.
On the other end of the stick, it was a night to forget for Madrid.
The Spanish giants have now lost the first leg of a European knockout tie by three or more goals for just the fifth time in their history.
Los Blancos ended up being eliminated on four of those previous five occasions.
However, the one outlier did come against an English side in the shape of Derby County. They lost 4-1 in the first leg of the 1975/76 last 16 before staging a remarkable 5-1 comeback in the reverse fixture.
As Arsenal prepare to step onto the hallowed turf of the Bernabeu, they do so with history and momentum on their side.
Madrid may be giants of European football, but there are chinks in their armour Arsenal will be looking to exploit.
Los Blancos have conceded at least one goal in each of their last 10 European games in the Spanish capital – a stat that will encourage a confident Arsenal squad.
Arsenal ripped Madrid to shreds without a handful of key players, flaunting an attacking flair that saw them ramp up 11 shots on target – the joint-most by any side against Madrid in a Champions League knockout tie.
Arteta’s side might even be kicking themselves for not stretching their lead further, considering the calibre of chances they created at the Emirates.
Arsenal seemed to lose their clinical edge when they returned to Premier League duty, drawing 1-1 with Brentford in an end-to-end London derby, although Arteta did name a much-changed line-up with Madrid in mind.
The draw against Brentford pushed Liverpool one step closer to the Premier League crown, and an unlikely slip-up against Ipswich Town this weekend could officially end Arsenal’s title hopes.
However, it appears the Gunners are now squarely focused on pushing for Champions League glory – their final shot at silverware this season.
The Gunners are now unbeaten in nine straight matches across all competitions and have scored in each of their last eight games.
If they can repeat their first-leg heroics in Spain, they’ll reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009.
It would also be only their third appearance in the Champions League final four in the club’s history.
Key Stats
As Manchester City and Chelsea can attest to, Champions League nights at the Bernabeu are anything but a foregone conclusion.
Despite their legacy, Madrid have only twice beaten English opposition by four goals in the competition – a 5-1 thrashing of Derby County and a 4-0 quarter-final win over Tottenham Hotspur in 2011.
The reigning champions arrive at this fixture following a narrow 1-0 La Liga win over Alaves, courtesy of Eduardo Camavinga’s strike, in a match overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe’s red card.
Yet, Real haven’t failed to score at home in the Champions League since a rare 3-0 defeat to CSKA Moscow in December 2018.
However, none of that will faze Arsenal fans, who will storm the Bernabeu with Champions League tickets from Seatsnet.com and fond memories of Thierry Henry’s iconic solo goal that earned the Gunners a 1-0 win nearly two decades ago.
The North London giants are yet to lose to Madrid in a competitive fixture, but even if that unbeaten run ends on Wednesday, they could still celebrate dumping out the reigning champions at their own headquarters.
Team News
Mbappe’s sending-off against Alaves has no impact on his European commitments, so he’d be hoping to inspire Los Blancos to another historic night at the Bernabeu.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the weekend’s match-winner, Camavinga, who will sit out the Wednesday clash after picking up two yellow cards in the first leg.
The Frenchman will watch from the sidelines alongside injury victims Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy, and Andriy Lunin.
As far as Arsenal are concerned, they could be without Jorginho and Thomas Party, as both players picked up problems in the second half of the London derby.
Arteta will also be without Ben White, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes, Kai Havertz, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Riccardo Calafiori.
Real Madrid potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; Federico Valverde, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba; Aurelien Tchouameni, Luka Modric; Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Kylian Mbappe.
Arsenal potential starting line-up:
(4-3-3): David Raya; Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Jakub Kiwior, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino, Gabriel Martinelli.
