Arsenal and Real Madrid meet in a mouthwatering Champions League quarter-final first leg tie at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
Conquering the continent is Arsenal's most realistic chance of winning a trophy this season as they are now 11 points behind Liverpool after being held to a 1-1 draw by Everton on Saturday, in a game that brought up two of my Goodison Park picks.
However, the Gunners have saved a lot of their best work for the Champions League this season, evidenced by their 9-3 aggregate annihilation of PSV in the round of 16.
Seeking to take another step towards what would be a maiden Champions League triumph, Mikel Arteta’s men now face the daunting prospect of a showdown with current kings of Europe Real Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti's side avoided elimination by the skin of their teeth after a dramatic penalty shoot-out was required to separate them and rivals Atletico Madrid in the previous round.
Los Blancos' preparations for their latest European battle were far from ideal, suffering a damaging 2-1 defeat at home to Valencia in La Liga on Saturday.
How the bookies view it: Gunners to fire first leg blow
It may come as a surprise to learn that Arsenal are 5/4 favourites on Boylesports to take top honours from Tuesday night’s first leg in North London.
Real Madrid are as big as 21/10 on Boylesports to emerge from the Emirates victorious, while the draw has been chalked up at 9/4 with the same firm.
Head to head: History book dormant
Tuesday night's showdown will see the pair cross paths for the first time since Arsenal icon Thierry Henry scored the only goal of the game in the second leg of a last-16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu way back in 2006.
Players to watch: Saka to shine?
Bukayo Saka is expected to get the nod from the off on Tuesday night, making him worthy of consideration for a goal or an assist at 8/5 with PaddyPower.
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo is averaging 1.37 shots on target per game in this season’s Champions League, making a solitary on-target effort from the Brazilian at the Emirates on Tuesday night an eye-catching option at 5/6 on Bet 365.
Predicted line-ups
The aforementioned Saka is expected to be restored to the Arsenal starting XI on Tuesday night, most likely replacing Raheem Sterling who misses out due to suspension.
Real Madrid will be without injured duo Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, while Aurelien Tchouameni will have to sit this one out due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli
Real Madrid: Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe
Anything else catch the eye?
While first legs can often be cagey affairs, I’m happy to go against the grain here by backing both teams to score at 10/11 on Boylesports.
BTTS would have been the right bet in each of Arsenal’s last three Champions League games, as well as three of their previous four Premier League assignments.
As for Real Madrid, each team has obliged in eight of their 12 continental contests this term to date.
This UEFA Champions League match between Arsenal and Real Madrid will be played on and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Arsenal vs Real Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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