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UEFA Champions League - Real Madrid VS Arsenal Prediction

UEFA Champions League - Real Madrid VS Arsenal Prediction
UEFA Champions League - Real Madrid VS Arsenal
Match Time:17-04-2025 03:00 Thursday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips

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Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti is not expected to make too many changes from the team that played in the first leg at the Emirates barring one forced alteration. Eduardo Camavinga will be suspended following his late red card for a second yellow, although the first booking in the game did rule him out of the second leg.

Aurelien Tchouameni has served his one-game ban and will be a straight swap for his compatriot in the midfield. Ferland Mendy and Andriy Lunin failed to make the bench against Alaves at the weekend, so the duo are doubts, meaning David Alaba could once again feature at left-back. Meanwhile, Dani Ceballos came off the bench for a few minutes at the weekend although there are doubts whether he will start the second leg.

Ancelotti could tweak his formation a little as he could switch to a 4-2-3-1 shape compared to the 4-4-2 that lost at the Emirates. Tchouameni could have veteran Luka Modric alongside him in central midfield, with Jude Bellingham taking the No.10 role in the system. Federico Valverde will once again feature at right-back ahead of Lucas Vazquez.

Mbappe will once again lead the line for Real Madrid, and Vinicius Junior will feature predominantly on the left wing. Rodrygo Goes will hope to have a bigger impact in the second leg from his position on the right wing as he could barely break the ranks in the first leg.

Arsenal
Mikel Arteta did name a much-changed lineup at the weekend, although he would have liked to rest a few more of his stars than he actually could. For instance, Ben White was ruled out of the Saturday clash, which led to Thomas Partey taking the right-back slot. However, he went down with a concern midway through the second half.

The Ghanaian international has been deemed as a significant doubt for the second leg as Arteta insisted he felt something before going down. However, Partey was spotted in training ahead of the second leg, so he might be available for the trip to Madrid.

Jorginho might miss out as the Italian international might be out with a blow to his chest or probably the rib area. Arteta is likely to name a similar side that featured in the first leg, with Jurrien Timber and Myles Lewis-Skelly set to feature in the full-back roles, while William Saliba and Jakub Kiwior continue at the heart of the defence.

Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard were all on the bench against Brentford, and the trio could return to the lineup for the second leg. Overall, Arsenal are expected to name an unchanged lineup from the first leg, and Arteta will hope to get the job done and move into the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Alaba; Tchouameni, Modric; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe

Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli

Real Madrid vs Arsenal Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
Arsenal have an impressive record against Real Madrid on the European stage and have won two out of the three matches played between the two teams in the UEFA Champions League, with the other game ending in a draw.
Arsenal have not conceded a single goal across their three matches against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League and could become the first team in the history of the competition to achieve four such results on the trot against Los Blancos.
Real Madrid have played out a total of 53 matches against opponents from England in the history of the UEFA Champions League and have managed to win by a margin of at least three goals in only two of these games.

Prediction: Real Madrid 2-1 Arsenal (Arsenal win 4-2 on aggregate)
If Arsenal can keep their clean sheet intact in the first 10 minutes - when the Bernabeu crowd is at its most boisterous - that should be a surefire recipe for success, although Real Madrid may have thought the same at the Emirates before the Gunners' second-half show. Arteta's defence is stingy enough to avoid conceding the four goals that Real require to win in normal or extra time, though, and as Los Blancos are vulnerable at the back, one lucky Gunner can have their Henry moment to calm any nerves and send the holders packing, after which Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa will stand in their way of Munich.