The time has come. There is no time for more harangues or plans for a comeback. Real Madrid will be playing for all at the Santiago Bernabéu against Arsenal on Wednesday. It’s all or nothing, an epic comeback that will keep the Whites in the fight for a place in the last sixteen. A place in the semi-finals is necessary for Carlo Ancelotti’s future on the bench.
Real Madrid didn’t just lose at the Emirates, they lost convincingly. Arsenal beat the Whites 3-0 with two goals from Declan Rice from set pieces, something the player had never done before, and an unstoppable shot from Mikel Merino. A hard blow that, on the other hand, was deserved.
Carlo Ancelotti‘s side gave a poor account of themselves, once again looking weak in defense, lacking a compass in midfield and sterile up front where the attacking trident, mainly Vinicius and Mbappé, do not fit in.
In La Liga, Real Madrid managed to win by the smallest of margins thanks to a goal from Camavinga in a very intense match against Deportivo Alavés at Mendizorroza. With this victory, the Whites maintain their distance from Barça at 4 points. This is good news for morale ahead of this important Champions League clash.
When does the UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid and Arsenal take place?
Real Madrid host Arsenal at the Santiago Bernabéu in the second leg of the quarter-finals on Wednesday April 16th at 21:00.
Without Camavinga and with Ceballos
Madrid are looking for a comeback after the 0-3 in London and host Arsenal at the Bernabéu. With respect to the first leg, Camavinga is out due to his sending off, while Ancelotti has recovered Ceballos, who already played against Alavés and could be included in the starting XI. The Whites have two confirmed injuries for the match against the English, Ferland Mendy and Andriy Lunin. In addition to the long-term injuries of Carvajal and Militao.
Possible Real Madrid XI
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
Defenders: Federico Valverde, Raúl Asencio, Antonio Rüdiger, Fran García
Midfielders: Dani Ceballos or Luka Modric, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jude Bellingham
Forwards: Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius.
Arsenal, with absences
Arsenal midfielder Jorginho will miss the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid after suffering a rib injury against Brentford on Saturday. Gabriel, Calafiori and Tomiyasu will not be in the squad for the visit to Real Madrid. In attack, Gabriel Jesus and Havertz, offside, have forced Arteta to invent Mikel Merino as ‘9.
Possible Arsenal XI
Goalkeeper: Raya
Defenders: Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly
Midfielders: Ødegaard, Jorginho, Declan Rice
Forwards: Saka, Mikel Merino, Martinelli