Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior makes a strong case to start vs Real Madrid | OneFootball

Arsenal welcome Real Madrid to the Emirates Stadium for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.

Both clubs have had mixed results this weekend. The Gunners drew 1-1 at Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.

Madrid hosted Valencia in La Liga on the same day and suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat. Los Che scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner at the Bernabeu Stadium.

The Gunners are underdogs for the upcoming European contest, and manager Mikel Arteta has a selection headache for the left centre-back role.

Gabriel Magalhaes has been ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury.

In his absence, Jakub Kiwior made his first league start of the year against the Toffees.

The Poland international was hugely impressive, with 71 touches and a 94 percent passing accuracy.

The centre-back also made four quality long passes. One of those put Leandro Trossard through on goal, but he could not beat Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Kiwior also made three clearances and blocked a shot from Iliman Ndiaye during the opening half, which could have tested David Raya.

He has made a strong case to partner William Saliba against Madrid.

Arteta tends to prefer a left-footer for the role. With Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori sidelined, Kiwior is the natural replacement.

The 25-year-old has previously made positional errors, but the manager should trust him rather than experiment with a new centre-back pairing.

Saliba and Kiwior have played together on occasions, and there should be some chemistry. By contrast, Ben White and Saliba have hardly partnered with each other in the heart of the defence.

The same can be said for Jurrien Timber. The Dutchman has primarily operated as a right-back for the Gunners.

Kiwior looks poised to start alongside Saliba on Tuesday. Timber is a strong candidate to feature at right-back ahead of White, with Myles Lewis-Skelly on the opposite flank.