Real Madrid and Arsenal will reconvene for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night.
Reigning European champions Real Madrid have a mammoth task ahead of them if they are to keep hold of their crown after crashing to a 3-0 defeat at the Emirates last Tuesday night.
Los Blancos have produced a string of stirring comebacks on the continental stage in recent years, however this might be a bridge too far.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side will come into this clash off the back of a hard-fought 1-0 win away at Alaves in La Liga on Sunday afternoon.
As for Arsenal, they have put themselves in the box seat to book a Champions League semi-final berth for the first time since 2009 following last week’s resounding 3-0 success over Real Madrid.
With the Gunners seemingly now putting all of their eggs into the Champions League basket, it was no real surprise to see them held to a 1-1 draw at home to Brentford in the Premier League last time out.
How the bookies view it: Real to roar back
The bookmakers' odds suggest Real Madrid will bounce back this week, with a home win as short as 8/13 on Boylesports.
A draw would do Arsenal just nicely and that outcome can be backed at 16/5 on Boylesports, while the Gunners are as big as 7/2 with the same firm to do the double over Real Madrid.
Head to head: History against the hosts
Not only have Real Madrid failed to defeat Arsenal in each of the previous three meetings between the pair, they haven’t managed to score against them across that three-game sequence. With that in mind, the even-money (1/1) on Bet 365 about under three Asian goals looks worthy of consideration.
Players to watch: Mbappe to set the wheels in motion?
Real Madrid will look to Kylian Mbappe to provide the spark for what would be a remarkable comeback. The French forward is an eye-catching even-money (1/1) anytime goalscorer option in this week's return match.
After scoring two sensational free-kicks to down Real Madrid last week, Declan Rice is as big as 20/1 (UniBet) to score from outside the box on Wednesday night.
Predicted line-ups
Eduardo Camavinga will miss out for Real Madrid after he was sent off last week, however Aurelien Tchouameni will come off the naughty step after serving a suspension at the Emirates.
Thomas Partey is rated as doubtful for Arsenal after being withdrawn with 20 minutes remaining against Brentford on Saturday, while Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes, Kai Havertz, Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyas are definitely ruled out.
Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Alaba; Modric, Tchouameni; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe
Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli
Anything else catch the eye?
Given Real Madrid’s need to go for the jugular on Wednesday night, they should rack up a fair few corners in their pursuit of goals.
With that in mind, look for the hosts to hit at least three corners in each half of the game at 4/5 on PaddyPower.
Only Bayern Munich (99) and PSG (93) have earned more corners than Real Madrid (83) in this season’s Champions League to date.
This UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid and Arsenal will be played on and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Arsenal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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