In the first battle between the two, Arsenal really delivered a hard blow to Real Madrid. I think very few except maybe the most die-hard Arsenal fans would have seen a 3-0 victory for the Gunners coming. Following that amazing achievement up with a draw against Brentford later in the week was probably not all bad for the team. Bringing players back down from the clouds, on the ground again and remembering that success comes through hard work.
Changing perspectives and looking at tonight’s match through Real Madrid’s eyes, instead projects an opportunity to seek and find a much-desired revenge. Experts and quite a few of the fans have already given up on chances to advance to the semi-finals. But all of us that have followed Champions League over the years, know that these amazing turnarounds happen more often in CL than in other tournaments. And, just looking at last night Aston Villa was inches away from taking the seamlessly hopeless starting position into extra time and/or penalties.
Real Madrid is a team that definitely has the skills to and ability to deliver the unexpected and had I been an Arsenal fan, I wouldn’t have taken the semi-final seat for granted. Real will enter the pitch with their minds set on securing at least one goal in the first half to create the first cracks in Arsenal’s armour. Looking beyond how the scene is set in regard to strategy, we need to also check in on squads and possible game-changers through injuries and suspensions. While there are disturbing factors for both teams, no real big surprises have been reported. Real Madrid has three players with injuries keeping them out of tonight’s match. Camavinga, Carvajal and Militao are all unavailable, and on top of that both Mendy and Lunin have a question mark tied to their availability.
Arsenal travels to Madrid with a decimated squad, the team has really had a tough season in terms of injuries, which makes their success in both the Premiership and the Champions League even more impressive. For certain Havertz, Magalhaes, Jesus, Jorginho, Calafiori and Tomiauzy are unavailable, and both Partey and White remain doubtful for tonight.
Conclusion: Real Madrid will do anything within their powers to win this game and they will also have a wild desire to get at least one ball in the net within the first 45 minutes of the game. This will also make them vulnerable for fast turnovers from Arsenal. I would guess quite a few of you will be watching this game tonight, so I will step out of the form we normally give our predictions within and deliver three picks for tonight. In order of risk level attached to them, my predictions are:
