Real Madrid vs Arsenal: Three key battles to keep an eye on | OneFootball

Following a 0-1 win over Alaves in their last La Liga match, Real Madrid are set to return to action in the UEFA Champions League, where they face the impossible task of overturning a 3-goal deficit from the first leg, against one of the best defensive sides in Europe, Arsenal.

There is no doubt that the Merengues’ chances of getting past this quarter-final stage in this edition of the UCL are quite slim. But if there is any team that has proven its ability to perform under the strongest of pressures, it is Real Madrid.

But to get over this immense challenge, the Whites will have to be at their best level and avoid any mistakes whatsoever, on either end of the pitch.

However, the English side also possesses a plethora of talent in their ranks, and the three following individual battles can turn out to be decisive for this tie tonight.

Kylian Mbappe vs William Saliba

The Frenchman was able to play only 38 minutes against Alaves as he was shown a red card for a rather harsh tackle on Antonio Blanco. Before that, he was also quite ineffective as he got some chances to get on the scoresheet in the first leg against Arsenal, but missed all of these chances.

Tonight, the French superstar will be looking to put things right, especially to let the Santiago Bernabeu know why Florentino Perez was so keen to see him in their team. The forward has already shown his ability to shine in the biggest of matches, and hopefully, he will once again take the game by the scruff of the neck to help his team advance to the semi-finals.

However, he will be facing a highly competent defender, his compatriot, William Saliba. The centre-back is among the best defenders in Europe at the moment, and, according to Sofascore, boasts 1.6 tackles, 3.5 clearances, 0.9 interceptions, and 4.8 ball recoveries on average in the UCL.

Thus, the battle between these two Frenchmen will be one of the most exciting and decisive in tonight’s game.

Jude Bellingham vs Thomas Partey

Jude Bellingham was one of the few Real Madrid players who put in a satisfactory performance in the first leg against the Gunners, but still, he would be far from satisfied after having to face such a humiliating defeat on his visit to his home country.

Thus, he will also be looking to once again remind the world why he is one of the biggest stars in England by putting in a memorable performance at the Santiago Bernabeu. With his immense stamina and ability to get into scoring positions, Carlo Ancelotti will also be relying on him a lot to help his team get over the great deficit from the first leg.

On the other hand, the former Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey will also be present on the pitch, and will be hoping to spoil these plans of Ancelotti and Bellingham.

The Ghanaian international’s stamina and physicality will not really be easy to overcome, even for Bellingham, as Sofascore statistics show that he gets dribbled past only 0.6 times on average in the UCL and recovers 3.4 balls per game.

Bukayo Saka vs Fran Garcia

Although Declan Rice got most of the glory for his brace in the first leg and Mikel Merino also got a goal, Bukayo Saka has still been one of the standout performers for Arsenal in this edition of the UCL. He has 4 goals and 2 assists in the 6 matches he has played in the competition, and keeping him under control will be one of the most important tasks for Carlo Ancelotti in this game.

This task will be made even more difficult by the fact that Ferland Mendy is still out with his injury and Eduardo Camavinga, who has also played frequently as a left-back this season, is also unavailable for this game due to suspension.

As a result, the Italian can either deploy David Alaba in this position, or give the chance to Fran Garcia to show that he can be relied upon at the highest level. The chances of the Spaniard playing this game are greater, as he provides a better offensive threat, and Real Madrid need to overcome a 3-goal deficit before thinking about defending.

Saka would also prefer facing Garcia, as he does not have Alaba’s experience or defensive skills, but the Spaniard can still stand up to the Englishman. This uncertainty alone makes this battle quite an exciting affair to look up to.