Real Madrid are reportedly considering a swoop for Arsenal star William Saliba – could Arsenal profit too?
Two absolute titans of European football will collide in the Champions League-quarter-final when Arsenal face off against reigning champions Real Madrid-in one of most highly-anticipated matches of the contest so far.
Madrid are the most successful team in Champions League history with 15 titles, with their most recent coming in the final against Borussia Dortmund last season. Meanwhile, Arsenal, barring the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup of 1994 and the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (the predecessor to the UEFA Cup) have never previously been European champions though they did reach the final of the competition back in 2006 and the semi-final in 2009.
The Gunners are essentially in a position where they will have to put their eggs in one basket after falling short in the League Cup semi-final, FA Cup third round and most notably the Premier League where their lack of a 20-goal striker and injuries to Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have left them trailing Liverpool by 12 points in the league.
Arsenal, were however, able to turn their goalscoring boots on for the game against PSV Eindhoven – and after scoring 10 across two games against the Dutch side, will have some hope that they can topple a Madrid side that they beat 1-0 on aggregate in their only previous competitive meeting in the round-of-16 back in 2006.
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