Who: Arsenal vs Real Madrid
What: UEFA Champions League quarterfinal, leg 1
Where: Emirates Stadium, London
When: Tuesday at 9pm (19:00 GMT)
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Real Madrid continues their quest to win a seventh Champions League title in 12 seasons when they visit North London to play Arsenal in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Arsenal, a winner of 13 English top-flight league titles, and currently second on the table behind Liverpool in the Premier League, represents a formidable test for the Spanish giants, whose form has been patchy in the past few weeks.
Here is all to know before the quarterfinal opener between two of the biggest football clubs in the world:
When did Arsenal and Real Madrid last play each other in the Champions League?
2005/2006 Champions League season.
Surprisingly for two such high-profile clubs playing European football almost every year, the sides have only met in competitive action one year (2005/2006 season), playing a two-leg, round-of-16 knockout phase with Arsenal prevailing en route to the final.
On February 21, 2006, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry memorably scored the only goal over the two matches in the opening leg at the Bernabeu in Madrid.
Team news: Arsenal
The Gunners are bolstered by the return of England international Bukayo Saka who will make his first start of 2025 against Real Madrid, after the right winger was out for 101 days with a hamstring injury.
Manager Mikel Arteta is set to go with Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey as his midfield trio.
Arsenal will be without five injured players: Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Gabriel Magalhaes. Of the five, only Calafiori is a possibility for inclusion in the squad for the return leg against Real Madrid on April 16.
Team news: Real Madrid
The superstar forward pairing of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, who have combined for a stunning 51 goals this season, will start upfront for Los Blancos.
Key midfielder Jude Bellingham, who returns home to England to play Arsenal for the first time in his career, is likely to start against the Gunners.
First choice Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois returns to the starting XI after skipping their last couple of games through injury.
Real Madrid will have four players missing from the Arsenal match: Dani Ceballos, Eder Militao, and Dani Carvajal are injured, and Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended.
Possible lineups:
Arsenal possible starting XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli
Real Madrid possible starting XI: Courtois; Valverde, Raul Asencio, Rudiger, Fran Garcia; Rodrygo, Modric, Camavinga, Bellingham; Mbappe, Vinicius Jr
Form guide
Arsenal:
The Gunners have not lost the first leg in their last seven European Cup/Champions League quarterfinal ties and are unbeaten in their last 16 UEFA competition home matches.
Arsenal results in their last five matches (across all competitions):
D-W-W-D-D (most recent result first)
Real Madrid:
Madrid, who are the most successful Champions league team in history with 15 titles to their name, are gunning for a treble in the 2024-25 season (LaLiga, Copa del Rey, Champions League).
Real Madrid results in their last five matches (across all competitions):
L-D-W-W-L (most recent result first)
Has Arsenal ever won the Champions League trophy?
Arsenal has never won the UEFA Champions League title.
The came closest in the 2005/2006 season, losing the final to Barcelona 2-1.
What the managers had to say:
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager: “It is 100 percent the biggest night of my career. The excitement around the club, the people – this is the stage we want to be, where Arsenal have to be consistently. That’s why I came into football, that’s why I came into management and especially to this football club. It has been 20 years since we had this type of game and for us it’s a great opportunity to build our own story.”
Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid manager: “Arteta is doing a fantastic job. He has taken this team to the top of Europe and, above all, he’s built a complete team in Europe. There aren’t many teams like that. Experience in this tournament is very important. Knowledge means you’re not afraid of these games, with this pressure. It’s very important to have that experience and players who have played in these games many times. And it helps the young players.”
