Arsenal’s 2024/25 Season Hinges on Champions League Clash with Real Madrid
Arsenal’s 2024/25 season will be defined by their upcoming UEFA Champions League encounters with Real Madrid next month. The Gunners secured their place in the quarter-finals after a commanding 9-3 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven in the last 16.
In contrast, Los Blancos had a tougher challenge, narrowly edging out Atletico Madrid in a controversial penalty shootout. The reward for both Carlo Ancelotti and Mikel Arteta is a battle to reach the semi-finals, something Arsenal hasn’t achieved since 2009.
Arsenal’s only previous Champions League meeting with Real Madrid came in the 2005/06 last 16, where Thierry Henry stunned the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu with a 1-0 win. Arsene Wenger’s underdogs held on to a 0-0 draw in the second leg and advanced to their first-ever final, where they ultimately lost to Barcelona.
There are some parallels heading into this new tie, with Arsenal considered outsiders to knock out Ancelotti’s defending champions, especially with their Premier League title hopes already dashed. Arteta and former Real Madrid midfielder Martin Ødegaard are rallying the team ahead of their clash, and star player Bukayo Saka is racing against time to return for the first leg.
“He’s getting closer and making very good progress. Let’s see how he reacts when we throw him in with team training next week and how fit he can get,” Arteta said, as quoted by BBC Sport. “Hopefully, we will see him more with the ball at his feet than he has been able to so far. He’s already done quite a lot of work out on the pitch working on his own.”
Saka, who has missed three months after undergoing thigh surgery, will be a key figure for Arteta as he aims to get him match-ready before Arsenal’s Champions League return.
The first leg will take place at the Emirates on April 8, followed by the second leg in Madrid on April 16.
