Real Madrid know the terrain of the Champions League like no other. Arsenal, meanwhile, are desperate to carve a path of their own.
Tuesday’s quarterfinal first leg at the Emirates is a collision of legacy and ambition.
It is the first-ever competitive meeting between the clubs in North London, and Real Madrid arrive with scars from a rare domestic stumble – but a tournament pedigree that dwarfs Arsenal’s.
Fifteen-time European champions Madrid needed penalties to escape a feisty round-of-16 tie with crosstown rivals Atletico.
Arsenal, in contrast, bulldozed their way past PSV with a 7-1 first-leg masterclass in Eindhoven, booking back-to-back quarterfinal berths under Mikel Arteta.
This is, without question, Arteta’s biggest night as Arsenal boss.
It comes hot on the heels of the Arsenal Women’s stunning comeback win over Madrid in their own Champions League tie just weeks ago.
Now, the men will try to replicate that memorable 3-0 triumph – and maintain a proud unbeaten streak of 10 Champions League home games, eight of them with clean sheets.
But while Arsenal have lit up Europe, their Premier League form has dimmed.
A 1-1 draw with Everton at the weekend saw them fall further behind Liverpool in the title race, with Arteta clearly rotating his squad in preparation for Madrid’s visit.
Even with key attacking absences, Arsenal battered PSV in 90 devastating minutes in the Netherlands.
Since then? Just seven goals in five games – and a growing reliance on Bukayo Saka, who is expected to start for the first time in 2025 after two cautious cameos.
The Gunners will also be buoyed by the returns of Thomas Partey, Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli.
Makeshift forward Mikel Merino, despite a head gash at Goodison Park, should also feature.
Yet Arsenal’s injury list remains heavy: Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Gabriel Magalhães are all sidelined. Riccardo Calafiori and the suspended Raheem Sterling will also sit out.
Madrid have their own problems.
Aurelien Tchouameni is banned, while Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao are out long-term. First-choice keeper Thibaut Courtois and left-back Ferland Mendy face late fitness calls, while backup keeper Andriy Lunin is nursing a calf injury, forcing Carlo Ancelotti to field teenager Fran Gonzalez in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Valencia.
Despite Hugo Duro’s 95th-minute dagger at the Bernabéu, Ancelotti’s men remain composed in Europe. Real haven’t lost a Champions League quarterfinal since 2004, winning 12 straight two-legged ties at this stage.
And don’t be fooled by Arsenal’s historical edge: they’ve never lost to Madrid in Europe – Thierry Henry’s iconic solo strike from 2006 still rings loud in Gunners folklore – but this is a different Madrid, with Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Antonio Rudiger and Dani Ceballos all cleared to play after escaping UEFA suspensions.
Madrid have already eliminated 111 different clubs in this competition.
If Arsenal become No. 112, their European dream may unravel – and another trophyless season could loom.