Arsenal vs Real Madrid: A Thrilling Champions League Quarter - Final Clash

At 3:00 am Beijing time on April 9th, the highly - anticipated first leg of the 2024 - 25 Champions League quarter - finals between Arsenal and Real Madrid will take place at the Emirates Stadium! Who will emerge victorious?

Real Madrid, the king of the Champions League and the defending champion, is a formidable force with a strong squad. However, Arsenal is no pushover. Compared to Real Madrid's bumpy journey from the league stage to the round of 16, Arsenal has had a smooth run in the Champions League. They directly advanced to the knockout stage with the third - place finish in the league, and in the first leg of the round of 16, they thrashed PSV Eindhoven 7 - 1 to secure their advancement.

Currently, Real Madrid is missing several key defenders due to injuries. Upfront, the three superstars Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, and Jude Bellingham have shown inconsistent performances, and they still haven't developed an ideal understanding among themselves.

In the past decade, Premier League teams have often been dominated by Real Madrid in the Champions League, but they are not completely powerless, especially at home. In this season's Champions League league stage, Liverpool defeated Real Madrid 2:0 at home.

Before the game, an analysis pointed out that Arsenal is one of the strongest teams in Europe in set - pieces. In the Premier League, the Gunners scored 11 goals from corner kicks, leading the league. The team of their manager has 15 goals from set - piece tactics, accounting for 27% of the total goals. Across Europe, Arsenal's 84 corner kicks and 205 cross - attempts are unparalleled. Although the absence of Gabriel has dealt a blow to Arsenal's corner - kick tactics, the team still has players with excellent heading ability such as William Saliba, Martín Merino, and Jérémie Kiwior. More importantly, former Real Madrid player, Martin Ødegaard, known as the 'Norwegian Messi', is a master of set - pieces, and Declan Rice also has excellent set - piece delivery skills.

However, Arsenal's set - piece defense is a weakness. In the Premier League, 42% of their goals conceded are from set - pieces, which has cost them points on many occasions. The heading ability of Édouard Mendy will be a crucial weapon in the two - leg tie. With the return of Thibaut Courtois, who is excellent in the air, Real Madrid is expected to gain an advantage in set - piece offense and defense. But as Courtois said, staying focused and limiting Arsenal's set - pieces is the key to victory, because the Gunners are fully capable of delivering a fatal blow to Real Madrid through set - pieces.