Arsenal vs Real Madrid summary: goals, score, stats and highlights | Champions League 2024/25
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Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid: as it happened
Full-time thoughts:
All the headlines will be about Declan Rice, and rightly so, but that was a spectacular performancefrom front to back by an Arsenal side who completely dominated Real Madrid in the second half.
While Los Blancos had chances before the break to go ahead, especially from Mbappé who looked inspired at times to do it on his own, the second half was a completely different story and the Gunners took control, pressing Real Madrid all the way back to 2006 and two perfectly hit dead ball strikes from Rice sealed the result.
Before that, Courtois had kept Madrid in it with a fantastic series of stops but the two goals in quick succession from Rice sent Arsenal fans into dreamland.
Mikel Merino got goal number three with a fine finish, and from then on it was party time. Madrid looked lacklustre and out of ideas, with Carlo Ancelotti surely to come under fire for this terrible second half.
While we know that anything can happen at the Bernabéu, it's going to have to be a comeback of historic proportions for Madrid to continue their Champions League dream. Right now, Rice has Arsenal cooking.
That's all folks!
Let's leave it there. Thanks for following the live feed and make sure you tune in tomorrow for more Champions League action!
Joe
Post-game comments:
In the first half we did well, we created on the counter. In the second half we didn't play well, we weren't calm on the ball.
They score two free-kicks and then for the third, we didn't have a good reaction.
We know we're strong at home, we'll give everything from the first minute. We have to work hard and correct the mistakes. If we score quickly, it's possible.
I think it's the strength of the opponents, not nerves, that made things tough. We wanted to have the ball in the second half but it didn't work; we need to work on that.
I knew I'd have work to do today, they attack well. The first one, I thought I made the wall OK, I always put an extra man on that side, but it was a good hit. I knew he could hit them, but he scored two great goals, he couldn't have hit the second one better. We can't make those fouls, especially when they're going away from goal and not creating danger. But we have to learn from it and that's that.
Post-game comments:
We weren't at 100%, but we can do better in the next game.
We need to change our attitude a bit and give it all for the next game. There's a week until the next game and we have to work hard until then, it's not what we expected but we're convinced we can do it, we need a positive mindset to turn this around.
If there's one team in the world that can turn this around, it's us. We need our fans but we can do it.
Grim reading for Madrid fans
Despite spending big on forward talent, Madrid have looked sloppy in front of goal.
Ouch...
Madrid failed to ignite in the second half, with Arsenal finding the perfect way to keep their attackers at bay.
Post-match comments:
We always have the Bernabéu...
FULL-TIME!!!
ARSENAL BEAT REAL MADRID 3-0
David Raya to take the free-kick and that should be that...
CAMAVINGA SENT OFF
The midfielder gets his second yellow of the night.
Thirty seconds to go. Madrid make it into the box and Mbappé goes down, but there's no way he's getting a penalty for that.
Arsenal are still pressing Madrid's defenders like crazy, they simply cannot make it to midfield.
OFF: Timber
ON: White
Four added minutes.
Raya catches the looping ball that drops following Vinicius Jr's blocked shot. The Arsenal fans cheer like they've scored a fourth goal.
We're into the final minute of the game.
Asencio gets a bit touchy-feely with Trossard as he looked to control a bouncing ball, with some fans wanting a penalty...
A weak Madrid attack is cut out by Arsenal who counter immediately; they are toying with Los Blancos as the 'oles' ring around the ground.
Arteta asks his players for calm as they look for goal number four against this Madrid side who are at sixes and sevens.
Another Real Madrid change:
OFF: Rodrygo
ON: Brahim Diaz
Arsenal win a corner after nice work down their right side.
Madrid substitute:
OFF: Alaba
ON: Fran García
Rodrygo breaks through the defensive line of the home side but pulls Tierney's shirt on the way. Why does he hate Scotland?
It looks like Brahim Díaz is getting ready to come on for Madrid, who have created nothing in the second half.
Rodrygo loses his patience and pushes over Tierney as he battles for the ball. Free-kick to Arsenal and a chance to wind down the clock.
Man of the moment off the pitch (he's not injured)
OFF: Rice
ON: Tierney
Rice goes down but he's laughing his head off. The efforts from the Madrid players to hurry things up fail to get the medical staff member off the pitch.
Mbappé's pass over towards Bellingham is rushed and flies high into the air. Frustrated groans can just about be heard over the party in the home end.
Arsenal break forward and the ball is played inside from the left. Merino hits it first timeon the spin from the edge of the box and the full stretch of Courtois is not enough as Madrid crumble like a sandcastle.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL
MIKEL MERINO SCORES TO MAKE IT THREE
Fifteen to go. The Emirates Stadium is in party mode.
Madrid substitute:
OFF: Modric
ON: Lucas V
Arsenal make a change:
OFF: Saka
ON: Trossard
Camavinga's clipped pass finds Alaba, who sees his header caught by Raya.
The ball is hit towards the far corner and it flies in where the crossbar meets the post, giving Thibaut Courtois no chance at all to get anywhere near it.
Goal of the night, of the match day, of the season.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
OH MY WORD WHAT A GOAL FROM DECLAN RICE
Rice and Ødegaard are over the ball.
Camavinga brings down Saka and Arsenal have another free-kick in a dangerous position on the edge of the box.
CHANCE
Bellingham is on the line to block Rice's shot from close range. Madrid are wobbling here...
AMAZING SAVES FROM COURTOIS
WOW.
Real Madrid mess up at the back and Martinelli is allowed to shoot from close range. He hits his effort hard across goal and Courtois manages to save. The rebound is blocked by Alaba before Merino's strike of the bouncing ball is again saved by the brilliant Belgian.
Raya comes out to collect Modric's clipped pass over the top of the Arsenal defence that was aimed towards Mbappé. Madrid need to add a few more bubbles to their drink here. There's not enough fizz.
A nice sequence between Vini Jr and Alaba comes to an end after the Brazilian looks inside for Bellingham, only for his pass on the edge of the box to be cut out by Partey.
Vinicius, Rodrygo and Mbappé have been very quiet so far since the restart. Ancelotti needs more from his front three as the home side grow one thousand sizes.
Arsenal attack again, this time down the right, and win a corner. Madrid holding on...
Chance for Madrid
Madrid come flying out and win a corner. Bellingham gets a touch and Raya collects.
Real Madrid have it all to do now, but first they need to keep calm and quieten the crowd.
What a strike!
The right footed shot curved around the wall and found the inside of Courtois' post. Sensational.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLl
RICE FIRES IN FROM DISTANCE AND ARSENAL ARE AHEAD
Rice and Saka are over the ball, and it looks like a shot is coming...
Free-kick to Arsenal, 30 yards from goal. Alaba trips Saka as he cuts inside and this is a great chance to cross or even go for goal.
Asencio comes across to clear a through ball that found Rice in acres of space on the edge of the box. A dicey moment for the away side that was ultimately well defended.
Camavinga goes down after getting a Thomas Partey elbow to the face. The midfielder becomes the first player to be booked tonight.
Camavinga does superbly well to battle against Ødegaard and play the ball to Bellingham. The Englishman moves it up the line to Vini Jr, who plays square to Mbappé. He's eventually crowded out by defenders but again, it's a solid move from the away side as they play through the press.
INTO THE SIDE NETTING
Mbappé takes Bellingham's quick pass from the centre channel that finds him on the left and slashes an effort into the side of Raya's goal. A warning shot for Arsenal.
Pass, pass, pass, pass, pass... boom. Arsenal spring into life with Martinelli, who breaks down the left and sees his cross spooned out behind Courtois' goal.
Arsenal seem happy to play around the back as Madrid sit off in a mid block.
Both Brahim and Fran García are warming up for Real Madrid.
Arsenal start brightly: Camavinga clears Merino's touch inside the box after the Spaniard did well to control Rice's cross from the left.
Second half underway!
Arsenal kick off the second half.
The entrance music of WWE star Triple H is playing on the Emirates Stadium speakers. There's a sentence I never thought I'd write.
Arsenal are out on the pitch, no changes
We're still waiting for Los Blancos.
Almost ready to go again!
Courtois first out for Madrid...
Will we see any changes at the break?
I don't think so. Barring injury, I doubt any of the managers will change the players for the second half. A tactical switch maybe, but expect to see the same 22 for the second 45.
Opta say Arsenal deserve a lead
Everything's been pretty equal at the break, with the home side having the slight advantage as far as the stats go.
Inter are 0-1 up in Germany, thanks to a fine strike from Lautaro Martínez.
Half-time thoughts:
In what's been an entertaining game, both sides have had chances to score, with Rice's late header possibly the best.
Arsenal have shone at times with their wingers, Saka in particular, who has managed to find space on more than one occasion to play dangerous crosses into the box.
However, the away side have also found gaps, through both Vini Jr and Mbappé, with the latter showing his class plenty of times in that half.
The game is nicely poised for the second half, which should be just as entertaining.
HT: Arsenal 0-0 Real Madrid
That's all for now!
Camavinga fires high and wide from distance, and that will be that for now.
The home side are finishing the half strongly: Courtois comes off his line to sweep up a filtered Ødegaard pass towards Merino.
2 added minutes.
DOUBLE SAVE FROM COURTOIS
Out of nowhere. The ball was sent in from the right and Rice's low header was well saved. The Belgian managed to get back to his feet to stop the rebound from Martinelli!
It looks like we're going to have 2 minutes of added time. Let's see...
Madrid shuffle from left to right in their defensive shape as Arsenal probe with jabbed passes in and out of the central channel. No way in as of yet.
It seems Arsenal's recent arrivals into to Madrid box have given them hope for the final five minutes of the half. Madrid are back in their 4-4-2 as the home fans look to give their team one final push.
Five to go of normal time in the first half.
CHANCE FOR ARSENAL
Just as Madrid look to be in control, Arsenal strike. A sensational ball through from Ødegaard finds Saka who plays the same low cross as before, and again nobody is there to tap home.
It's positive stuff from the away side, who are dominating possession over the past few minutes and they have control over the spaces on the pitch.
CHANCE FOR ARSENAL
Arsenal break and finally manage to breathe. Saka does superbly down the right and fires a low cross into the area that just needs just the smallest of touches to be put into the net.Nobody finds contact with the ball that flies out of the other side of the pitch.
Madrid have Arsenal pushed back into their defensive third as they look to find the key through their out of possession shape.
Possession so far:
Arsenal 56% - 44% Real Madrid
Mbappé is absolutely everywhere and his touch is superb. Arsenal know he's fired up and are doing everything to stop him.
Corner to Real Madrid, who have come alive in the past minute, with Mbappé behind a lot of it.
SAVE FROM RAYA
Bellingham slips Mbappé in behind and the attacker opens up his body before firing a low drive into the ribs of Raya.
There's a bit of unrest from the home crowd as Madrid take their time with a goal kick...
After almost half an hour, it seems Camavinga is finding his feet. He's made a few mistakes until now but over the past few minutes we've seen a couple of important interventions from the Frenchman.
Mbappé and Rodrygo are outnumbered on the counter but they manage to conserve possession as their teammates join them in the final third.
Saka's cross is deflected into Courtois' grasp by Camavinga. Madrid break...
Timber goes down and needs medical attention, but he looks OK to carry on.
BIG CHANCE FOR MADRID
It's ruled offside as the ball flies over the bar, but what a chance for Madrid. Vini Jr robbed Partey on halfway and slipped Mbappé through, who managed to fire off a shot as he tumbled to the ground.
The linesman, correctly, flagged the Frenchman offside after the play.
More cool, calm football from Real Madrid see them play out from the back and make their way through Arsenal's pressing machine. Everyone looks switched on today, as is often the way when it comes to Madrid and the big games.
A couple of strong challenges from Madrid go unpunished by the referee, who allows the away team to play on.
They counter down the right before switching the play to Vini Jr whose shot bends wide of the far post.
Twenty minutes in and we've seen chances for both sides in what has been an intense game so far.
A fantastic intervention from Asencio stops Martinelli from reaching a sly pass in behind the Madrid defence. Solid defensive work there.
Luke Modric, the Spurs legend, is brought down in his own half. The home fans aren't happy.
A couple of risky passes from Madrid fall victim to Arsenal's press, but the away side manage to keep calm and regain possession after being pushed back into their own half.
Real Madrid are having their longest spell on the ball so far, passing between midfielders around 40 yards from Arsenal's goal.
NO PENALTY.
As you were.
The ball definitely hits Asencio's arm after the cross comes in from Martinelli, but it looks to be a natural position.
CHANCE
Arsenal break down the left and Asencio's poor clearance lands at the feet of Merino, who taps it to Partey on the edge of the box.
The midfielder hits a low shot that is well saved.
Camavinga goes in on Timber close to the touchline and the home fans scream for a free-kick but our favourite Bosnian referee says no.
Arsenal's press down Madrid's left side works well and they regain possession, winning a throw near the box.
Alaba heads away a cross whipped in by Martinelli. Arsenal are dominating the space but Madrid have looked lively on the counter in the opening stages.
Vini gains a yard on Timber and fires a shot/cross towards goal that flies well over the bar from a tight angle.
Asencio clears Rice's cross from the left; Madrid break....
CHANCE
An Arsenal corner is whipped in towards Courtois at chest height and somehow, in the scramble, Madrid clear. A bright start from both sides.
Everything Arsenal have done so far, the four or five arrivals into Madrid's defensive third, have come through Bukayo Saka's dribbling.
BIG CHANCE FOR ARSENAL
Wow. That was almost an own goal from Rüdiger, who slipped as he cleared Saka's low cross, spooning the ball behind and almost in at the near post.
CHANCE
Vini Jr breaks away down the left and tries to whip a cross to Mbappé. It hits Saliba's leg and bounces into the grateful grasp of Raya.
Ødegaard hits a low cross and Madrid defend easily.
Free-kick to Arsenal on the right corner of the box after Saka is tripped by Modric. The winger has started very brightly...
Arsenal get their first touches as Real Madrid drop back into that 4-4-2 shape we heard Ancelotti talk about in the preview. Bellingham goes in late on Rice and the home side win a free-kick-
37 seconds in and we've got our first shot: a Kylian Mbappé strike from distance following a throw-in from the left. The Frenchman took the ball in the centre channel 35 yards out, opened his body and hit a weak effort at Raya.
And we're off!
The away side get us going, kicking from right to left as I'm looking at the pitch.
A final reminder of the starting XIs:
Arsenal:
GK: Raya
DEF: Timber - Saliba - Kiwior - Lewis-Skelly
MID: Rice - Partey - Ødegaard
ATT: Saka - Merino - Martinelli
Real Madrid:
GK: Courtois
DEF: Valverde - Asencio - Rüdiger - Alaba
MID: Modric - Bellingham - Camavinga
ATT: Rodrygo - Mbappé - Vini Jr
Here come the players!
The two teams make their way out of the tunnel and onto the pitch!
One clear winner here:
And it's Mikel Merino, who has by far and away the strongest beard of the 22 players. Dani Carvajal is injured so he doesn't count.
Tick tock...
The Arsenal fans have unveiled a Thierry Henry banner, showcasing the French forward in that famous yellow kit.
Meanwhile, Arsenal's players are already in the tunnel.
Remember, we've got live updates as Bayern host Inter at the Allianz Arena, but make sure to get back over here for the good stuff.
And the light show begins...
Sometimes modern football needs a kick in the leg. Enough with the light shows...
Real Madrid will play in their third kit tonight
Adidas say it's inspired by "the Madrid streets". I have no idea what they mean, but who am I to argue with the thick-rimmed glasses and double denim of the design team.
Real Madrid's players head to the dressing room
Time for the final team talks of the two managers ahead of kick-off, and the stadium is at bursting point already as nobody wants to be late for this one!
Rodrygo Goes to Spanish TV:
We are very focussed, we are going to put our lives on the line for this game.
We have to carry out the plan that we have created and trained over the past few days, let's see how it goes.
We know the quality they have with dead balls and the full-backs, we have to try and stop them as best we can.
The Champions League is the Madridisitas' preferred tournament but we're still angry we lost the last LaLiga game. Now our focus is on tonight.
The noise levels are rising!
I'd say we're at 85% capacity inside the ground as the players look to wrap up their pre-game warmup routine ahead of kick-off.
Have your say!
We've got a live poll running on Twitter where you can vote on what you think will happen. Drop us a score prediction below the line if you're feeling confident!
Most Champions League games for Real Madrid:
1. Casillas 152
2. Modric / Benzema 133
3. Raúl González 132
A reminder of the starting XIs:
Arsenal:
GK: Raya
DEF: Timber - Saliba - Kiwior - Lewis-Skelly
MID: Rice - Partey - Ødegaard
ATT: Saka - Merino - Martinelli
Real Madrid:
GK: Courtois
DEF: Valverde - Asencio - Rüdiger - Alaba
MID: Modric - Bellingham - Camavinga
ATT: Rodrygo - Mbappé - Vini Jr
Did you know?
This is Real Madrid’s first ever competitive game at the Emirates Stadium, despite Arsenal having played here for almost 20 years.
JESUS ALVAREZ ORIHUELA / DIARIO AS
We've not even mentioned this guy
While Rodrygo and Vini Jr haven't been feeling great in front of goal recently, Kylian Mbappé certainly has.
He has 7 goals this season in Europe and has scored 22 in LaLiga, behind only Robert Lewandowski in the domestic competition. He has 5 goals in his last 4 LaLiga games.
Half an hour to go!
Both sides are warming up on the pitch, with the red seats around them filling up nicely.
Carlo Ancelotti pre-game quotes:
I'm just thinking about preparing well for the match and we think we've prepared well. We're up against a team that does a lot of things well and they're a complete team: they're good at pressing up front, the low block and transitions. We have a clear approach and we'll try to execute it tomorrow. The team is in good physical condition and we can play with intensity tomorrow.
Experience in this tournament is very important. Knowledge and experience mean you're not afraid to play these games with so much pressure. It's a very important tournament. It's very important to have players who have participated in many games of this kind because it helps the youngsters and gives them more confidence.
We can't think about criticism when we have a match every three days. We've analysed and evaluated the match against Valencia. Now, we have to prepare well for this game, which is 90 important minutes. They won't be decisive because there are another 90 minutes at the Bernabéu.
Nikel Arteta pre-game quotes:
At these stages, you need your home stadium to create a very, very special atmosphere to generate momentum. So, let's go. I encourage everybody to go there tomorrow to play the game with us. Not to be there watching it but to play the game with us.
We have to create that energy, that belief, that enthusiasm to play every single action there, because the bonus, the confidence that that gives you, there is nothing else that we can replicate that I can tell the players constantly to maintain that throughout the 95 minutes that the game is going to be played.
I encourage them to come very early to the warm-up, and create those nights that we haven't lived many of at Emirates Stadium, so that's an opportunity again. When we have built history, we have to build moments, and a moment is being built with our people
The matchday programme
Here's the matchday programme, with some snaps from that famous game at the Bernabéu...
Ancelotti to Spanish TV:
We have to be ready, it has to be a complete game, like always at this stage of the tournament.
[The right back change] they are little details that you have to decide upon, we thought Valverde can help us today.
Alaba has experience, he can help us a lot today.
It's a 4-4-2 today, we have to defend well and be compact, like I've said lots of times.
Set pieces are important, we have planned well to be able to defend well.
Mikel Merino is playing well in that position, he is tall and arrives into space well, he's also very good as a midfielder.
Who to watch: Mikel Merino
Mikel Merino is the striker nobody knew they wanted but one that everyone needed. The former Real Sociedad number 8 has been reinvented in recent weeks and months into a genuinely dangerous threat in the attacking line, with Mikel Arteta using him as a danger man from set pieces, with his intelligence and cunning coming into play in a completely unexpected way.
As a result, he’s arguably been Arsenal’s biggest goal threat in the absence of Bukayo Saka, and Real Madrid’s defence will have to keep a close eye on his movement if they don’t want to get caught out by this surprise striker.
Here's how things look at the moment...
The sun is setting as the fans file into their seats, and Arsenal's squad have just arrived at the ground now (Gunnersaurus is also here).
VINCE MIGNOTT / EFE
Who to watch: Vini Jr
I’m going to stick my neck out and say Vinicius Jr, but not for the reasons you might think. The Brazilian winger has had a tough time recently to say the least and his gobsmackingly awful penalty against Valencia was the melted icing on an overturned cake.
While he has scored and assisted in his last two games, his performances as a whole have been incredibly frustrating as he runs into brick wall after brick wall. His touch has been heavy and his normally electric dribbling has been watered down, with angry flailing arms more of a feature of his game than anything else. He was even whistled by fans at the Bernabéu who have seen enough.
Let’s see if he can turn it on tonight, as this is Real Madrid and the Champions League, so he’ll probably score a hat-trick after I’ve said that.
The players have arrived at the stadium!
As I type this, Jude Bellingham has just walked out of the tunnel and onto the pitch to perform his pre-game ritual of visualising the play and how things are going to go.
GLYN KIRK / AFP
Arsenal's road to the quarter-final
Arsenal’s season so far in Europe has been almost entirely positive, with hugely impressive wins over PSG, Inter, Sporting CP, Monaco, Shakhtar, Dinamo and Girona, as well as a solid draw with Atalanta at the start of their campaign.
They skipped the playoff round due to their solid league position and took on PSV in the Round of 16, where they demolished them 1-7 in the first leg.
The 2-2 draw in the return fixture was simply a way for the Dutch to claw back some pride, as they were never going to overturn such a deficit away from home, and if we’re taking only Europe into account then Arsenal are perhaps the in-form team to beat.
Thoughts on the Arsenal starting XI:
That's a strong team from Arteta, who welcomes Bukayo Saka back into the starting side. He'll be up against David Alaba, who begins the game at left-back for Los Blancos.
Real Madrid XI:
Courtoisstarts in goal with David Alaba at left-back and Fede Valverde winning the battle over Lucas at right-back. Asencio and Rüdiger are the central defensive partnership.
A midfield of Bellingham, Modric and Camavinga will sit behind a front three of Vini Jr, Mbappé and Rodrygo.
ARSENAL STARTING XI:
GK: David Raya
DEF: Timber - Saliba - Kiwior - Lewis-Skelly
MID: Partey - Rice - Ødegaard
ATT: Saka - Mikel Merino - Martinelli
JESUS ALVAREZ ORIHUELA / DIARIO AS
Real Madrid's road to the quarter-final
Ah, Real Madrid. The oxymoronic mix of terribly unconvincing football and serial winners continues to pour out of the pores of anyone in the white shirt. Nothing has changed: it’s still utterly inconclusive whether or not they’re good, as shown against Dortmund, Stuttgart, Lille, Liverpool, Atalanta and Atlético Madrid, with their only pair of solid performances coming against Manchester City, who are in a world of issues in their own right.
They beat the English champions 2-3 and 3-1 in the playoff round and that was, genuinely, their last convincing wins of the season, with performances struggling to match such levels since then.
Atlético Madrid came and went in the Round of 16, with Real Madrid finding yet another way to knock them out of the tournament, this time on penalties after losing the second leg across 120 minutes at the Estadio Metropolitano.
Nicolò Campo / LightRocket via Getty Images
Who's the ref?
The lucky soul with the whistle in hand tonight is everyone’s favourite Bosnian, Irfan Peljto. A European football regular, the 40-year-old has done everything from Champions League to Europa League and he’s even dipped his toe into the money pool that is the Saudi Pro League.
Expect him to be able to keep a lid on things if they indeed to boil over, as I wouldn’t want to take a stern telling off from Mr Peljto.
I didn’t mention it before with the team news, but Carlo Ancelotti openly admitted in his pre-game press conference that he has been battling demons over who to play at right-back for the game.
While Lucas Vázquez is perhaps the obvious choice, Fede Valverde has shown to be a more than adequate option in the back line, with performances so strong they’ve led to plenty within the Madrid media and fanbase push for him to start over the Spaniard.
“It’s a question mark for us,” the Italian said in his pre-match press conference. “[Valverde] does so many things so well: full-back, midfielder... We need to think about where he’s going to bring most to the team."
Setting the scene...
The Emirates Stadium will host the action tonight, with the beautiful London springtime sunset also playing a part in the occasion.
With a capacity of just over 60,000, the fans will undoubtedly be in fine voice for the game, despite a somewhat ropey reputation when it comes to the noise levels. However, I must say that this trope seems to have been dropped by mischievous fans of other teams in recent years as the crowd have seen their team turn into title contenders in the Premier League.
Arsenal team news
Mikel Arteta will be without quite an extensive list of first-team stars for the game, with all of Calafiori, Tomiyasu, Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Magalhaes all confirmed as unavailable to play in the match.
As well as all those top tier players, attacking threat Raheem Sterling will sit out due to an accumulation of yellow cards in the tournament.
Just like Ancelotti, Arteta will be breathing a sigh of relief at the return of one key asset. Lightning bolt Bukayo Saka is set to start after a lengthy layoff due to physical problems, giving Arsenal a huge boost and Madrid an equally large headache.
Real Madrid team news
Right off the bat, let’s get the Real Madrid team news out of the way so we’re all clear on who’s in and who’s out.
Left-back Ferland Mendy, the player Ancelotti called ‘the best in the world’ when it comes to defence, is not available for the clash due to a thigh injury he picked up recently.
Militão, Carvajal and Ceballos are longer-term injuries, while Andriy Lunin has also failed to recover in time. Tchouaméni is suspended and won’t play.
The good news is that Thibaut Courtois is indeed back in the mix and in line to start, which comes as a huge boost since Madrid were forced to play with a baby giant in goal against Valencia, a game they lost 1-2.
Welcome!
Well hello there, dear reader. We’re back.
It’s Joe on duty tonight for the huge game in the Champions League as Arsenal host Real Madrid in the quarter-final round of Europe’s elite competition.
Kick-off is at 3pm ET, but stick around for all the build-up, live with AS USA.