Arsenal travel to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday evening after their scintillating 3-0 win at the Emirates in the first leg.
A brace from Declan Rice and a Mikel Merino curled effort have given the Gunners a commanding lead, but they will be wary of facing a strong Madrid outfit on their own turf.
The omens are with the Gunners though as Los Blancos have never beaten them in European competition. They have also won on their only trip to the Bernabeu too, a Thierry Henry solo run providing the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory in February 2006.
Last week was also only the fifth time that Real Madrid had lost a first leg of a Champions League/European Cup knockout tie by three or more goals. They ended up being eliminated on all but one of the four previous occasions, the outlier being against Derby County in the 1975/76 season.
REAL MADRID VS ARSENAL PREVIEW
The Gunners go into this game off the back of a 1-1 draw against Brentford. This all but surrendered the Premier League title to Liverpool, with the Reds now 13 points ahead with just six games to play.
Manager Mikel Arteta made five changes from the side that beat Madrid and you could tell as it was a lacklustre performance. Thomas Partey scored the opening goal for Arsenal, only for Yoane Wissa to score an equaliser 13 minutes later.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, moved to within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona with a 1-0 win over Alaves.
Eduardo Camavinga got the goal with a left-footed strike in a match that saw Kylian Mbappe sent off for the first time for Real Madrid.
Camavinga will miss this game after being sent off in the first leg for kicking the ball away. This was his second bookable offence. Aurelien Tchouameni should replace him after serving his suspension in the first leg.
Despite being sent off at the weekend, Mbappe will feature against Arsenal.
Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal are still both out with knee injuries. Ferland Mendy (muscle) and Andriy Lunin (calf) are also doubts.
Jorginho and Thomas Partey both picked up injuries for Arsenal in the second half against Brentford. They will face fitness tests, along with Ben White.
Riccardo Calafiori is probably out with a knee issue. Jesus (knee), Gabriel (hamstring), Kai Havertz (hamstring) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) are absent too.
REAL MADRID VS ARSENAL – PREDICTIONS
Real Madrid Win
The Bernabeu crowd will be jumping and the home side have scored in every home Champions League match for over six-and-a-half years. The Gunners’ defence is porous enough for this trend to continue.
Draw
A draw would be enough for Arsenal. With Real Madrid needing to attack, they could leave space open at the back.
Arsenal Win
An early goal will certainly calm nerves, giving Real Madrid an almost insurmountable mountain to climb. They were rampant against Madrid in the first leg and should have scored more. Their 11 shots on target were the joint-highest against Real Madrid in any Champions League knockout game.
REAL MADRID VS ARSENAL – BETTING TIPS
Real Madrid Win
Everything will depend on which team scores the first goal and when it will be scored. If Madrid score early, then the nerves may start in the Gunners’ camp. If Arsenal score early, the game will effectively be put to bed. I don’t see Arsenal conceding four goals, but I don’t see them keeping a clean sheet either. I think Madrid will win, but narrowly. It won’t be enough for them to progress.
Both Teams To Score
Arsenal have scored an average of 2.55 goals in the Champions League this season, while Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé have scored 14 goals between them in the Champions League (seven each). Even though the Gunners have only conceded six goals in the Champions League this season, I expect Madrid to score at least one at home. This would maintain their nearly seven-year home scoring record in the Champions League. Should Arsenal score, it will extend Real’s run of being unable to keep a clean sheet at home in the Champions League to 11 games.
HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS
- Arsenal and Real Madrid have played each other three times. Arsenal have won two encounters, with the other being a draw.
- Arsenal have never conceded a goal against Real Madrid.
- The last time Real Madrid were knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League was in the 2003/04 season.
- Real Madrid have beaten 111 teams in the Champions League, but Arsenal are not one of them.
- Real Madrid have scored in every home Champions League game they have played since December 2018 (versus CSKA Moscow).
- Real Madrid have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 10 Champions League fixtures at the Bernabeu.
- Real Madrid have only beaten an English side by more than three goals in three meetings out of 53.
- Arsenal are unbeaten in nine games in all competitions.
- Arsenal haven’t failed to score in any of their last eight games in all competitions.
- Arsenal have won their last three away games in the Champions League.
- Arsenal are looking to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009.
