It’s now or never for Real Madrid after losing 3-0 to Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinals matchup. It’d be a historic comeback to defeat the Gunners and overcome a three-goal deficit, but if any team can do it, it’s Real Madrid playing in front of their home fans. But if they’re going to engineer a comeback, Carlo Ancelotti will be forced to make some changes to the XI, although he’d likely want to make some after such a heavy defeat anyway.
For Arsenal, things are much clearer as Mikel Arteta will want to lean on their defense that did so well to limit Real Madrid’s chances at the Emirates. It’ll be harder to do that away from home, but defending has been Arsenal’s bread and butter this season so they’ll be more than prepared to do that even if it’s in adverse conditions facing Real Madrid away from home.
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Thomas Partey and Ben White are both fit for the game but may not start after both picking up knocks for Arsenal. On the Real Madrid side, Ancelotti will get Aurelien Tchouameni back from suspension but lose Eduardo Camavinga to suspension due to him picking up a red card in the first leg. It’s one step forward and another back for Los Blancos, but that’s just how their injury issues have reared their heads this season.
Following a poor performance in the first leg, it would make sense for David Alaba to be on the bench and Ancelotti will also need the balance of Fede Valverde back in midfield. It’s something that could make the defense worse, but in needing to score three or more goals to have a chance here, defense should come as a second thought because Real Madrid’s best chance will come by pushing the pace and pinning Arsenal back with their attack.
If Partey can’t go for Arsenal, they can slide Mikel Merino back into midfield, bringing in Leandro Trossard to the attack as Arteta has plenty of options at his disposal. With Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard healthy, Arsenal will create chances to test Thibaut Courtois and the Real Madrid defense, but they’ll need their midfield and defensive balance to be set to avoid getting overrun in the clash. Whoever scores first will secure a massive psychological advantage in the match, but that’s what will make this an intriguing tie despite the three-goal difference heading in.
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Predicted lineups
Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois, Lucas Vazquez, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger, Francisco Garcia, Aurelien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe
Arsenal: David Raya, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jakub Kiwior, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, Mikel Merino, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Bukayo Saka
How to watch Real Madrid vs. Arsenal, odds
- Date: Wednesday, April 16 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu — Madrid, Spain
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Real Madrid -140; Draw +300; Arsenal +340