Arsenal head to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of their quarter-finals with a huge 3-0 advantage, and Real Madrid will hope to turn it around.
In the build-up to the second leg of Real Madrid’s quarter-final tie against Arsenal, all the talk has been about how the 15-time Champions League winners can turn it around at the Santiago Bernabeu. The venue has seen multiple turnarounds in the competition, as the fans will be eager to create a terrific atmosphere inside the stadium which will reportedly have its roof closed for this clash.
The media has helped build the hype around this fixture, which promises to be explosive, at least on paper. The reality of the situation is that Real Madrid trail Arsenal by three goals and only twice in their history have the Spanish giants beaten an English team by four or more goals at the Bernabeu, with Tottenham’s 4-0 loss in 2011 the latest.
The second one was against Derby County back in 1975, when they finished the first leg trailing by a 4-1 scoreline, only to beat the English side by a 5-1 margin at the Bernabeu. Los Blancos have produced massive comebacks at this venue against the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea in recent years.
However, the task against Arsenal is a bigger one for Carlo Ancelotti and his men, who secured a narrow 1-0 win over Deportivo Alaves at the weekend playing with ten men for most of the game after Kylian Mbappe was sent off for a violent foul in the first half.
While the media show at Madrid is in full swing, Arsenal have been quiet on that front and still basking from their stellar win at the Emirates a week ago. Two Declan Rice free-kicks sucked the air out of Real Madrid’s defence in the first leg, as Mikel Merino added a third to give the Gunners a comfortable lead heading to the Bernabeu for the second leg.
While the pre-match predictions ahead of the first leg suggested Real Madrid would secure a big win, Arsenal were the dominant side on the pitch. The 3-0 scoreline is relevant to how they played against the reigning Champions League holders, as Mikel Arteta’s side dominated all boxes, and had 11 shots on target out of their 12 overall.
Arsenal named a changed lineup at the weekend against Brentford, where they could only secure a draw. A second-half strike from Thomas Partey set up by Rice after a tremendous run ensured a lead, which did not last long as Yoane Wissa found an equaliser. The Gunners did end the game with ten men on the pitch for the last part as Jorginho went off the pitch with an injury when Arsenal had no substitute slots left.
Heading to the Bernabeu, Arsenal will be wary of keeping their composure and not letting occasion get to their head. Arteta will want his side to keep a tight lid in defence, as the scoreline heading into half-time will speak volumes, as letting in a goal in the first half will give Real Madrid momentum to get back into the tie.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti is not expected to make too many changes from the team that played in the first leg at the Emirates barring one forced alteration. Eduardo Camavinga will be suspended following his late red card for a second yellow, although the first booking in the game did rule him out of the second leg.
Aurelien Tchouameni has served his one-game ban and will be a straight swap for his compatriot in the midfield. Ferland Mendy and Andriy Lunin failed to make the bench against Alaves at the weekend, so the duo are doubts, meaning David Alaba could once again feature at left-back. Meanwhile, Dani Ceballos came off the bench for a few minutes at the weekend although there are doubts whether he will start the second leg.
Ancelotti could tweak his formation a little as he could switch to a 4-2-3-1 shape compared to the 4-4-2 that lost at the Emirates. Tchouameni could have veteran Luka Modric alongside him in central midfield, with Jude Bellingham taking the No.10 role in the system. Federico Valverde will once again feature at right-back ahead of Lucas Vazquez.
Mbappe will once again lead the line for Real Madrid, and Vinicius Junior will feature predominantly on the left wing. Rodrygo Goes will hope to have a bigger impact in the second leg from his position on the right wing as he could barely break the ranks in the first leg.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Alaba; Tchouameni, Modric; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta did name a much-changed lineup at the weekend, although he would have liked to rest a few more of his stars than he actually could. For instance, Ben White was ruled out of the Saturday clash, which led to Thomas Partey taking the right-back slot. However, he went down with a concern midway through the second half.
The Ghanaian international has been deemed as a significant doubt for the second leg as Arteta insisted he felt something before going down. However, Partey was spotted in training ahead of the second leg, so he might be available for the trip to Madrid.
Jorginho might miss out as the Italian international might be out with a blow to his chest or probably the rib area. Arteta is likely to name a similar side that featured in the first leg, with Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly set to feature in the full-back roles, while William Saliba and Jakub Kiwior continue at the heart of the defence.
Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard were all on the bench against Brentford, and the trio could return to the lineup for the second leg. Overall, Arsenal are expected to name an unchanged lineup from the first leg, and Arteta will hope to get the job done and move into the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli
Key Stats
- The last time Real Madrid overturned a three-goal deficit from the first leg of the UEFA Champions League was against Derby County in 1975.
- Real Madrid have only beaten an English team by a four-goal margin at the Bernabeu two times in their history; against Derby County and Tottenham Hotspur.
- Arsenal have scored 12 goals in their last three Champions League games.
- Arsenal have not conceded a goal against Real Madrid in their three meetings so far.
- Currently on 28 goals and 21 assists, Vinícius Junior could become the fourth different Real Madrid player to reach 50 goal involvements in the UEFA Champions League (after Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Raul), which would be at least twice as many as any other team (Robert Lewandowski and Muller for Bayern Munich).
Player To Watch
Kylian Mbappe
The French superstar has big questions to answer alongside his teammates, as Real Madrid have a massive three-goal deficit to overcome. Barring a few chances at the Emirates, the Arsenal defence kept Mbappe quiet for the duration of the game, and Carlo Ancelotti will want to see the best of his striker in this reverse fixture.
Meanwhile, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has been directly involved in eight goals in eight knockout stage games against English sides in the UEFA Champions League (seven goals, one assist), including five in four home outings (four goals, one assist).
Mbappe was sent off against Alaves at the weekend for a violent foul, and he will have to regain his composure and put in a big performance against Arsenal. All eyes will be on him as well as Vinicius and Bellingham ahead of this second leg, as Madrid hopes to put in a display that makes the impossible possible.
Prediction
Real Madrid 2-2 Arsenal
Real Madrid are likely to go all out in the attacking third to get an early advantage against Arsenal in this tie, where they are already three goals down. They will find some level of success at the risk of opening their defensive lines to allow the Gunners their fair share of chances.
Arsenal have the cushion of the three-goal advantage, and Mikel Arteta will want to keep the door closed at the back. The Gunners have not conceded three goals in a game across all competitions since their win over Luton Town in December 2023, and they might not start a trend now. The Gunners are not expected to lose out, as this game could end in an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu, with the North Londoners going through.
