The quarterfinals of the Champions League will usher in a key battle,Arsenal host Real Madrid.
Both teams are second in their respective leagues, but Arsenal are already 4 points behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, and the title is almost hopeless. Real Madrid, on the other hand, is only 0 points behind Barcelona in La Liga and still has hopes of winning the title.
So Arsenal can focus on the Champions League without distractions and fully rotate in the league, while Real Madrid will definitely be distracted by the league.
Neither team has been in great form in recent games, with Arsenal drawing 2-0 at Everton and Real Madrid losing 0-0 at home to Valencia in the league at the weekend.
The other two teams have injuries of varying severity. Arsenal's injury situation is more serious,Gabriel, Havertz, Karafiori, Tomiyasu, Resussand 5 others are absent due to injury,Stirlingis a red card suspension. The first three of these 6 are the absolute main force of the team, and their absence has a greater impact on the strength of the team. especiallyGabrielThe absence not only deprived Arsenal of a big player in the backline, but also made the team's set-piece tactics much less powerful.
Other than thatSakaDespite returning from injury, the last 2 games have come off the bench in the second half, and it seems that Arteta is still using him cautiously, and it remains to be seen whether he can start.
Arsenal's starting line-up is expected to be 433.
In comparison, Real Madrid's injury situation is slightly better,Carvajal, Militão, MendyIt's all long-term illnesses, Real Madrid have long been used to their absence, and Ancelotti has found a solution to it. Other than thatCeballosAlso recuperating from injury, Tchouameni was suspended with a red card.
Real Madrid's proudest four frontcourt superstars Mbappe, Vinicius, Bellingham, and Rodrygo can all start.The combined value of these 5 people reached 00 million euros.
In particular, Mbappe has scored 7 goals and 0 assists in 0 appearances in all competitions this season, including 0 goals in the Champions League, and can be said to be the best attacker in the Real Madrid team.
Real Madrid's starting lineup is expected to be 4231.
Since both teams have a number of main players absent and they are not in the best condition, so they are inIn the first leg of the knockout round, you will focus on stability, based on defense and then waiting for opportunities to fight the opponent's counterattack.
In particular, although Arsenal's attack this season is not fluid, relying more on the individual ability of the stars, the defense is very good, with only 26 goals conceded in 0 Premier League games, which is the team with the fewest goals conceded in the Premier League. In the face of the powerful Real Madrid this time, even if it is a home game, I am afraid that it will adopt conservative defensive tactics.
Real Madrid has never taken the initiative in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, but has focused on attacking and defending and quick counterattacks, and several speed and breakthrough masters in the front court provide natural convenience for this tactic.
So this oneThe knockout rounds may not be too exciting, but they are absolutely intense.
The key areas of contention for the game are likely to be on the flanks, especially on the right side of Arsenal.Saka + Timberwill play against each otherVinicius + Alaba, plus Mbappe is also good at moving on the left side, so this side confrontation is very likely to determine the direction of the game.
Although the other two teams have a number of injured players, they both have decisive stars on the bench, Real Madrid's Dias, Endrick, Modric, Arsenal's Merino, Nwaneri and others are likely to come off the bench to break the balance.
In terms of historical records, although both teams are top European teams, they only have 2019 records against each other, and the most recent one was in the International Champions Cup in 0, so the reference is not significant.
So who will have the last laugh in this spotlight battle?