A huge night of Champions League action awaits on Tuesday (8pm UK) as we eye taking a huge step towards a first appearance in the semi-finals since 2009 at the expense of Real Madrid.
Los Blancos will make their first-ever competitive appearance at Emirates Stadium, but while the 15-time winners have beaten 111 teams in the competition’s history, we are not one of them courtesy of our famous last-16 success in the only previous meaningful meetings between the teams.
While we’re looking to reach the final four for just a third time, Madrid’s love affair with the competition sees them looking to make that a reality for the fifth consecutive season. But we head into the first leg knowing that no team has beaten us in north London in 10 Champions League games since our return last term, and an extension of that run would put us in a superb place before our visit to the Spanish capital eight days later.
Real deal or falling behind?
As they attempt to win successive La Ligas for the first time since 2008, Madrid currently sit in second spot behind Barcelona, four points behind after conceding in the 95th minute to lose 2-1 at home to Valencia on Saturday, their second defeat in five league games.
Two pieces of silverware have been claimed this season - the UEFA Super Cup and the inaugural FIFA Intercontinental Cup when they beat Mexican side Pachuca 3–0 in the final, while they are in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona as they eye a first-ever treble.
They have though tasted defeat four times on their run to the Champions League quarter-finals, with losses to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool contributing an 11th-place finish in the league phase. But a 6-3 success over Manchester City in the play-off round was followed by a penalty shootout success against neighbours Atletico to scrape into the last eight.
What the managers say
Arteta: “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.
"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.
"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."
Ancelotti: "Arsenal is very strong and powerful from set pieces. We’ll try to defend as best we can, but we can also hurt the other team from set pieces. It’s a very important aspect of the game.
"Mikel is doing a fantastic job. In five years he has taken this team to the top of Europe, he is doing very well.
"He has built a complete team, and there are not many complete teams in Europe. There are not many complete teams like Arsenal."
Team news
Raheem Sterling is suspended after picking up three yellow cards in the competition this term, while Declan Rice, Gabriel Martinelli and Jurrien Timber are one booking away from their own one-match bans.
Gabriel and Kai Havertz (hamstring) and Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) remain our long-term concerns with the quartet unavailable for the rest of 2024/25.
Thibaut Courtois is among the travelling part for the first leg after the goalkeeper missed the last three games with a knee issue, but backup Andriy Lunin is out with a leg injury. French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni will serve a one-game ban. His international teammate Ferland Mendy has also not made the trip with a muscle complaint, while ex-Gunner Dani Ceballos is out with a calf problem.
Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao will miss the remainder of the campaign with serious knee injuries, while Real have six players who could miss the second leg should they be cautioned in this game - Lucas Vazquez, Vinicius Jr, Luka Modric, Endrick, Antonio Rudiger and Eduardo Camavinga.
Talking tactics
Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme: Ancelotti’s class of 2025 like to adopt a hybrid 4-4-2. Out of possession they are more compact than in previous years, usually tucking Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo infield to form a narrow midfield quartet. Defending in a mid-block rather than pressing high, forwards Vinicius Jnr and Kylian Mbappe are then charged with the task of screening the passing lanes.
On the ball, Madrid are brilliant at springing into life in a fluid, razor-sharp 4-2-1-3. Bellingham drifts around as a free No.10, behind a frighteningly quick attack that is good enough to hurt you in a multitude of ways. We are used to seeing Kylian Mbappe dazzle from the left wing, but under Ancelotti he has developed into a fearsome centre forward, still at his most dangerous cutting in from the left, with each passing week the Frenchman looks increasingly comfortable down the middle.
At the right times they keep possession for sustained periods, but they can also sit off and soak up pressure before striking on the break. In this first leg I would expect them to adopt that counter-attacking style, and having scored four times in the competition from fast breaks, it will suit them,
Keeping clean sheets has been problematic for the 15-time winners in this year’s competition, registering just one shutout in their 12 matches. Injuries to key defensive personnel have left them vulnerable, with players like Vasquez, Federico Valverde and Tchouameni deputising out of position within the back four. In half of their Champions League games in 2024/25, Madrid have also fallen behind to the opening goal, so a fast start tonight could reap rewards.
Facts and stats
Real Madrid have won just three of their last eight away games in the Champions League, with three of those games coming in England.
Real haven’t lost the first leg in any of their last eight knockout stage ties; their joint-longest run in first leg meetings.
We have won just one of our last eight home games in the knockout stages of the Champions League and have been eliminated from each of our last seven knockout ties when playing the first leg on home soil.
We have had 13 different scorers in the competition this season, with only Borussia Dortmund in 2016/17 (15) and Madrid in 2001/02 (14) having more in a single campaign in its history (excl. own goals).
We have led for longer than any other team in Champions League matches this season (568 minutes overall), while only Inter Milan (5 minutes) have trailed for fewer minutes than us (65).
Bukayo Saka has had a hand in 14 goals in 14 Champions League appearances (8 goals, 6 assists). He has scored in all but one of his seven home appearances in the competition.
Since the start of the 2021/22 season, Vinicius Junior has been involved in the most Champions League knockout stage goals (19 – 9 goals, 10 assists).
The only English player to start in a Champions League quarter-final aged 18 or younger is Jude Bellingham. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri could become the only players other than him to do so here.
Following goals against Girona and PSV, Nwaneri could become the youngest player in Champions League history to score in three consecutive appearances (18y 18d).
Match officials
The only Bosnian to referee a Champions League game, Irfan Peljto takes control of this match. He has been on the FIFA list since 2015, and both teams have 100% records under his watch, with us beating Molde in 2020 and Bodo/Glimt in 2022 in the Europa League, while Real beat RB Leipzig in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals.
In his six games in the competition this term, Peljto has awarded a penalty in five of them. He has dished out 15 yellows and one red in that time too.
Referee: Irfan Peljto (BIH)
Assistant: Senad Ibrisimbegovic, Davor Beljo (BIH)
Fourth official: Milos Gigovic (BIH)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
Assistant VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)
Previous meetings
We have only faced Real twice before in competitive action, which came during our run to the 2005/06 Champions League final at the last-16 stage. One of Thierry Henry’s greatest ever goals saw us become the first English team to triumph in the Bernabeu, before we held a Madrid side boasting Zidane, Ronaldo, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos and Raul to a goalless draw at Highbury to advance.
However the sides have met in friendly matches stretching back to 1962 when we took on one of Los Blanco’s greatest ever sides, while we also beat them 3-1 in Lee Dixon’s testimonial back in 1999.
We have won each of our last three encounters with Spanish opposition in Europe, and have lost just three of their 18 meetings with Spanish sides on home soil, with those losses coming against Barcelona (1999 and 2016) and Deportivo de La Coruna (2002).
Live coverage
Get a unique flavour of the Emirates atmosphere by tuning into Live From N5 when Frimmy and Jeremie Aliadiere will be pitchside 75 minutes before kick-off on Arsenal.com and the official app.
They'll be joined by a selection of former Gunners including Alex Song to share their memories of high-pressure contests, and then Timbsy and Sharky pick up the baton from the studio with some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Little Simz and Ashley Walters. They'll provide a sneak peek of some exciting content coming your way, featuring the return of Guess the Arsenal Player, and Declan Rice gives us his top three goals.
Frimmy will be posing his Question of the Day, before kick-by-kick commentary comes from Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke who'll take you through all the first-leg happenings.
You can also find out which broadcasters are showing the game live wherever you are in the world.
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