Arsenal vs Real Madrid: All you need to know
The Champions League quarter-finals begin today with Arsenal hosting Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium.
The Premier League is surely out of the grasp of Mikel Arteta’s men now, but they harbour genuine ambitions of going all the way in Europe. As for Real Madrid, they need no introduction in this competition as the record winners and current holders of this famous tournament.
Carlo Ancelotti’s pre-match thoughts
“Mikel Arteta is doing a fantastic job,” the Real Madrid coach said of his opposite number. “He has taken this team to the top of Europe and, above all, he’s built a complete team in Europe. There aren’t many teams like that. Experience in this tournament is very important. Knowledge means you’re not afraid of these games, with this pressure. It’s very important to have that experience and players who have played in these games many times. And it helps the young players.”
The moment of the tie came just after half-time. Henry picked up possession in the centre circle, switched into va-va-voom mode and went on a run that bypassed five opponents, his gaze glued to the ball as he ran on and on. He shrugged off Ronaldo, Guti ended up on the floor, Sergio Ramos could not catch him. A crack of the left foot and the ball angled under Iker Casillas’ dive and into the corner of the net. Henry ran and ran some more, arms outstretched to capture the significance of the goal.
In the first leg at the Bernabeu, Arsenal triumphed thanks to Thierry Henry’s second-half goal at the Bernabeu. And Arsene Wenger’s men ensured they would progress to the quarter-final with a hard-fought 0-0 draw in the second leg at the Emirates.
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Arsenal & Real Madrid XIs when they last met in 2006
On March 8, 2006, Arsenal last faced Real Madrid in the Gunners final season at Highbury. That day the game finished as a stalemate, but a 0-0 draw was enough to see Arsenal progress. In between the sticks for the Gunners that evening was German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann (Market value: €6m), who would later that season be shown a straight red card in the Champions League final against Barcelona. It was somewhat of a make shift defence for Arsenal with injuries ruling out Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and Gaël Clichy. At right back it was Emmanuel Eboué (€5m), whilst at left-back holding midfielder Mathieu Flamini filled in.