All information about the UECL quarter-final between Arsenal and Real Madrid
Before the more detailed analysis of this Champions League quarter-final, I found myself automatically favoring the Madrilenians’ advancement to the semi-finals.
This would fit with the odds comparison of the best betting providers, but the more I thought about this pairing, the stronger the Gunners’ position became. My answer to the question “Who will advance, Arsenal or Real Madrid?” is therefore Arsenal. To hedge, I recommend using this Interwetten free bet for odds of 2.30.
Real Madrid have won the Champions League 15 times and have lifted the trophy a total of five times since 2016.
This year, the defending champion is undoubtedly one of the favorites again. However, I have my doubts as to whether Los Blancos will even survive the matchup with the Gunners.
The Whites only just won their last-16 tie against city rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties, and almost threw away the lead from the first leg in the second.
Your legitimate questions about the Gunners are certainly a result of the North Londoners’ modest recent performance in the premier class, but that shouldn’t influence your answer to the question “Who will advance? Arsenal or Real Madrid?”
Mikel Arteta is well versed in wearing down high-quality opponents in a special way. Last year, the Gunners collected 22 points from ten duels with the so-called ‘Big Six’ of the Premier League. Not a single game was lost.
The 1-0 win over Chelsea before the international break opened the door to a second consecutive season without defeat against the Premier League’s Big Six. If the north Londoners win their last remaining clash with Liverpool, they would not only have not lost any of their last 20 PL meetings with one of the Big Six, but would have again taken 22 points from those duels.
The approach under Mikel Arteta in big games is pretty clear. Arsenal are better at absorbing the pressure of big games than most top teams in European football.
In this year’s Champions League edition, Arsenal were once again able to rely on their phenomenal defense. The Gunners kept five clean sheets in ten appearances and only lost a single game (0-1 to Inter).
Otherwise, Arteta’s team won seven games and shared the points in the other two games. With 8.8 expected goals conceded, the Gunners have the best expected defense in the Champions League.
Carlo Ancelotti and his team, on the other hand, have already suffered three defeats in the league phase. What’s more, the white ballet only had to go into extra time and then a penalty shootout after a 1-0 defeat in the second leg against Atletico.
The Madrilenians were much more vulnerable in defense than Arsenal (19.6 xGA) and only finished one of the twelve Champions League games without conceding a goal.
Should the defending champions fall behind to the Gunners, this could quickly lead to the surprising elimination of Ancelotti’s team.
Reaching the semi-finals would be a historic achievement for Mikel Arteta and the club. Arsenal have missed out on the semi-finals of the Champions League in each of the last ten seasons.
Although the Gunners have always made it past the group stage since 2003/2004, they have rarely survived the quarter-finals of the competition.
Nevertheless, I am willing to bet on the Arteta selection advancing with a freebet. The Gunners have already beaten PSG (2-0) and dominated against PSV Eindhoven (7-1, 2-2).
Memories of the last encounters between these two teams are also quite positive for the underdog from the Premier League.
Arsenal have not conceded a goal from the Madrilenians in three of the four previous encounters, won two of those four duels 1-0 and only lost one game on penalties.
My tip: Arsenal will advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League!
