It will be a cracker as Arsenal host Real Madrid in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg today at the Emirates Stadium, MySportDab reports.
The Gunners put nine past PSV Eindhoven in round 16 to qualify for the last four while Real Madrid edge out their cross-city and arch-domestic rivals Atletico Madrid via penalties to secure the quarter-final ticket.
Can Arsenal stun the reigning La Liga and European giants champions to boost their chances of qualifying for the last four? Here is our full preview of the match.
Head to head record
On head-to-head record, it will interest you to know that Arsenal have never lost a competitive fixture to Real Madrid. The ghosts of Thierry Henry and his heroics back in 2006 looms large when these two teams cross path.
Henry stole the show in the 2006 UEFA Champions League matchup between the two teams in the round of 16 with the Gunners progressing on a 1-0 aggregate victory.
However, their most recent meeting in the International Champions Cup ended in a 2-2 draw in regulation time and a penalty shootout victory for Real Madrid.
Team News
Arsenal will head into this match with scores of their key players sidelined. Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes, Kai Havertz all make the Gunners’ list of absentees.
Riccardo Calafiori, Tomiyasu Takehiro, and Raheem Sterling are also set to miss the game due to injury blows.
For Real Madrid, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao have both been sidelined for the rest of the season and will miss the match. Aurelien Tchouameni has also been ruled due to accumulation of yellow cards.
However, Los Blancos received a major injury boost this week with first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtouis back to the squad and available for the game.
Prediction & kickoff
It will be a tough match for both teams. Real Madrid are the favourites given their unrivaled history and dominance of the European top-flight.
However, they have not added Arsenal to their list of teams they have beaten in the Champions League. We expect a tough match that is likely to end with a draw.
