Real Madrid crashed to a 3-0 defeat in the first leg of this tie in London.
The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu will host a UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg which will demand everything from Real Madrid if they are to overturn a 3-0 defeat in their first meeting with Premier League side Arsenal.
The Spanish team were outclassed by two Declan Rice free-kicks and a goal from Mikel Merino at the Emirates Stadium last Tuesday, and now face the challenge of scoring at least three goals to reach the next round.
Kicking off at 9pm CEST (3pm ET) on Wednesday, April 16th, Real Madrid will still be hunting for their first ever win over the Gunners, having lost when Thierry Henry inspired his team to win in the Spanish capital in their last visit in 2006.
Fans have promised a unique atmosphere at the Bernabéu for what is bound to be a nail-biting 90 minutes for Arsenal and their supporters, with Real Madrid seeking to avoid a quarter-final exit for the first time since they went out in the last 16 in 2019/20.
Real Madrid team news vs. Arsenal
One item of good news for Real Madrid is the return of Dani Ceballos to the midfield, after he spent over a month on the sidelines. He made his on-field return on Sunday against Alavés, albeit playing only the final moments of the win in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
However, Ferland Mendy remains an injury doubt and is not expected to make the cut to be included as part of the Real Madrid squad. He joins long-term injury absentees Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão in being unavailable.
One man who is a doubt is reserve goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. He has been out with a muscle injury in recent weeks and could return to the squad, though he will not displace Thibaut Courtois between the sticks after the Belgian returned to full strength for the first leg against Arsenal.
Also unavailable will be Eduardo Camavinga, who accumulated three yellow cards in the Champions League and then added a fourth in injury-time to be sent off against Arsenal. He will be suspended for this match, but would be available for a potential semi-final should Real Madrid mount a comeback.
If Real Madrid do progress, they will hope that several key players avoid a yellow card which would see them suspended for the next game. That list includes Antonio Rüdiger, Lucas Vázquez, Luka Modrić, Vinícius Júnior and Endrick Felipe.
Real Madrid expected lineup vs. Arsenal
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; Lucas Vázquez, Antonio Rüdiger, Raúl Asencio, Fran García; Fede Valverde, Aurélien Tchouameni; Rodrygo Goes, Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior; Kylian Mbappé.
Carlo Ancelotti’s biggest decisions will come in the full-back positions, where he must decide whether to continue with his approach in the first leg, which was conservative in deploying Fede Valverde and David Alaba to add defensive security. Here, he could go with more natural choices in Lucas Vázquez and Fran García.
That decision could condition the rest of the squad as it will determine whether Valverde will start in midfield, or could be replaced by Dani Ceballos or Luka Modrić.
What is certain is the attacking line-up, which will include all four offensive players, Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinícius and Mbappé. The quartet struggled in the first leg, but will be key to overturning a disappointing result in London.
