Arsenal vs Real Madrid Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | UEFA Champions League

Arsenal vs Real Madrid Preview

Tournament: UEFA Champions League

Date: 8 April, 2025

Kick-off time: 19:00 PM GMT

Venue: Emirates Stadium, London

Arsenal looks to take an early advantage in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid with a thrilling performance at the Emirates Stadium. The Arsenal vs Real Madrid clash will take place on April 8, 2025.

Mikel Arteta's side comes into this game after having won three of their last four games, and on the back of an impressive campaign in the Champions League.

They demolished PSV Eindhoven by a 9-3 margin in the Round of 16 and even finished in the top-3 of the competition's league phase, having scored 25 goals in 10 European games this season. They are flying high on confidence levels, being unbeaten in their last seven games (in all competitions) but face a challenging task against the 15-time Champions League winners.

Arsenal will need to produce something special to defeat Real Madrid and gain a formidable lead for the second leg. Arteta might be missing a few key players, but needs to make do with whatever he has and ensure his sturdy backline can hold their own against Los Blancos attack.

He needs them to be sharp in the attack and clinical in converting opportunities to stun the Spanish giants.

Real Madrid haven't had the most dominant Champions League campaign this season, finishing in 11th place at the end of league stages, but have managed to scrape past opponents in the knockout rounds.

They head into this game with four wins in their last five games, which included the dramatic win over Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the Round of 16 fixture. However, they are leaking goals in the backline, having conceded 61 goals in all competitions, including two in the recent 2-1 loss to Valencia. They've also conceded 12 goals in the Champions League.

Los Blancos are showing signs of weariness in terms of conceding goals, having let in four in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal against Real Sociedad. Carlo Ancelotti needs to fix up his defensive shape and needs his high profile attacking players to be at their best to outwit the Premier League side.

Arsenal Team News

The Gunners will be missing some important players for this game. Gabriel Magalhaes (hamstring), Kai Havertz (hamstring), Gabriel Jesus (knee) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) are all out for the rest of the campaign. Riccardo Calafiori is also out of action with an injury.

Real Madrid Team News

Dani Carvajal (knee) and Eder Militao (knee) are both ruled out for the Champions League quarterfinals as they recover from their respective issues. Dani Ceballos, however, could be back for this game alongside Thibaut Courtois. Ferland Mendy, however, remains a doubt.

Arsenal vs Real Madrid Predicted Lineups

Arsenal Predicted Lineup (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: David Raya

Defenders: Ben White, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, Myles Lewis-Skelly

Midfielders: Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard

Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Mikel Merino

Real Madrid Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois

Defenders: Fede Valverde, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger, Fran Garcia

Midfielders: Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham

Forwards: Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr

Arsenal vs Real Madrid Head-to-Head record

The upcoming Champions League quarterfinals between Arsenal and Real Madrid will mark the first time these two teams have faced each other in a competitive match since the 2005/06 season. They have only faced each other twice in the Champions League, in which Arsenal have won once and the other game has been a draw.

Key Players to watch in Arsenal vs Real Madrid

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Bukayo Saka has fought his way back into full fitness in time for the big Champions League clash for the Gunners. He has been impressive in Europe for Arsenal this season, with significantly outperfoming his 1.74 xG (expected goals) with five goals and two assists in five Champions League matches this season.

Saka has looked sharp in his return to action and even scored in his side's win over Fulham at home recently. He'll look to take the Emirates Stadium by storm with a thrilling performance, using his trickery and clever movement to dart his way into open situations in the final third to create chances for his teammates and also get some powerful shots on goal.

Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)

Kylian Mbappe has been in hot form in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, most prominently shining in Real Madrid's win over Manchester City in the playoffs. He has managed a pretty good 8.77 xG so far, out of which he's managed to score seven goals. Mbappe is averaging 2.1 shots per game in the Champions League and has also scored over 20 goals in La Liga.

The Frenchman thrives to shine in the big Champions League nights, something he'll look to replicate against Arsenal. He'll come up against fellow national teammate William Saliba, but Mbappe must be at his sharpest with his movement and finishing to be a difference maker in this tie.

Arsenal vs Real Madrid Prediction

With both these teams heading into this tie on the back of some impressive form, it should be quite an equal contest and a thrilling clash between two sets of world class talents. Arsenal and Real Madrid are both gunning for a big win, which should result in a really end-to-end attacking clash full of dramatic counter-attacks and goal-scoring opportunities.

However, Real Madrid's recent knack of being leaky in conceding goals could come back to haunt them here. That is why we are going for an Arsenal win, as the Gunners are ruthless enough to capitalize on any errors in their home and should produce a clinical display in front of their home fans.

Predicted Score: Arsenal 2-1 Real Madrid

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