Three talking points ahead of Arsenal vs Real Madrid | UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

Real Madrid had a golden chance to cut the deficit with Barcelona to just one point in La Liga at the weekend. They went on to lose to Valencia, however, and saw that chance forfeited in what turned out to be a shocking result.

Later tonight, they return to action in the UEFA Champions League after a long trip to London where they will take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal.

Mikel Arteta’s men are in decent shape and have just one defeat in their last nine games across all competitions. Most importantly, they have won two of their last three games including a win over Chelsea and a draw against Everton.

Both sides enter the game with injury troubles plaguing the managers and the battle in England will be all about taking the advantage and momentum into the second leg which will be played a week later.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Arsenal vs Real Madrid.

A serious test

Coming back from the defeat at the weekend is easier said than done, but Real Madrid have no option but to pull up their stocks and step up later tonight.

The defeat to Valencia was indeed gutting and one that forced the dressing room to think deeply and hard about everything that has been going wrong for Los Blancos this season.

The defence lay wide open for Valencia to capitalise on, the midfield was decent but dominated at times by Los Che while only Kylian Mbappe fired in the final third with conviction.

Having failed to pull off a result against a relegation-threatened team in La Liga, entering the Champions League and taking on an in-form Arsenal will not be easy. After all, the Gunners’ attack is far more potent than the lineup they lost to at the weekend.

The second leg being at home is a positive for Real Madrid, but they can only capitalise if they hold a decent result tonight. Arsenal, however, will not hold back and all eyes will be on Los Blancos’ defence to see how far they can hold on.

A serious test awaits one that can potentially decide the team’s fate in Europe.

Tactical tweaks planned

Ancelotti has some major decisions to make. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

Carlo Ancelotti has had no clear plan with Real Madrid this season and it is evident that the team has no defined system.

From the opening match day, Los Blancos have depended on individual brilliance to pull them through. It began with Vinicius’ good form and is currently being carried by Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe.

Tonight, the manager will thus make tactical tweaks to solidify the defence, but he must evaluate how it will affect the team on other frontiers. After all, a team already without a system can get significantly worse if players play out of position.

All signs point to Federico Valverde starting at right-back for Real Madrid, and while the Uruguayan does provide good defensive stability, his absence in midfield may cost Real Madrid the control of the game in the middle of the park.

After all, they have struggled to take matters into their own hand in midfield this season and none of Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni are capable of playing a controlling role for 90 minutes.

Further, reports claim that the coach is considering deploying David Alaba at left-back for the big game. Should he opt to do so, it will either be a match-winning masterstroke or a devastating error in judgement.

Walking on thin ice

At the end of 90 minutes in London later tonight, one of Real Madrid or Arsenal will likely have one foot in the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League.

What is certain, however, is that the tie will not be decided tonight but in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next week. Real Madrid, on that front, are treading a tightrope.

Six players in Carlo Ancelotti’s side are at risk of missing the second leg against Arsenal next week should they receive a yellow card at the Emirates, some of whom are bonafide starters.

Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modric, Lucas Vazquez, Vinicius Jr., Endrick and Antonio Rudiger are all one card away from suspension in the competition and will all have to play carefully tonight.

Any suspensions at this stage would hurt Real Madrid, more so if it is Vinicius and Rudiger, and as such, the Merengues must keep their discipline at the Emirates.