Madrid, Spain — Defending UEFA Champions League titleholder, Real Madrid, dey face major challenge to maintain their title defense as dem prepare to host Arsenal for the quarterfinal second leg on Wednesday. Arsenal don carry three-goal advantage after dem beat Los Blancos 3-0 for Emirates Stadium last week.
Dis match go take place for Santiago Bernabeu Stadium by 9 p.m. local time (19:00 GMT). The nagging question wey dey hang for air be whether Real fit recover from dis heavy defeat against Arsenal, wey no don ever win di Champions League title before.
Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior go lead Real’s charge as dem look to overcome di three-goal deficit, but history no dey favour dem. Real Madrid no don ever recover from three goals down in Champions League knockout stage, although dem don win 14 out of 15 knockout ties at home.
Vinicius Junior talk say: “We dey think only about Wednesday! We go show Arsenal wetin we fit do for Bernabeu. Hala Madrid!”
For Arsenal side, dem don put together di momentum after di first leg. With 13 English top-flight league titles under dem belt, dis go be opportunity to prove say dem belong among di elite of European football. Mikel Arteta‘s team don dey unbeaten for di last eight European quarterfinal ties.
Despite Arsenal’s last week big win, dem no receive chance dey go small as dem draw 1-1 against Brentford for di Premier League last Saturday. But dey still dey full of confidence entering dis tie.
Chelsea’s former player Declan Rice, wey score two free-kicks for di first leg, go lead Arsenal midfield alongside Martin Ødegaard and Thomas Partey. Dis trio don provide solid foundation for Arsenal as dem aim for di next round.
Sadde, Real Madrid kon managing a narrow 1-0 win against Alaves in di League, but di performance no too dey convincing. Carlo Ancelotti, di Madrid coach, go make strategic changes to di team. Dani Ceballos, wey don recover from injury, go add depth to di midfield. However, Eduardo Camavinga go miss di match due to suspension after his red card in di first leg.
For di two teams, di first goal go be very important. If Real Madrid fit score early, pressure go dey on Arsenal. If Arsenal score first, dem go add more pressure on Madrid to perform miracle.
Following dis match, di winner go face either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa for di semifinals, creating more tension for dis high-stakes encounter. Fans don dey prepare for spectacular atmosphere for Bernabeu, as both teams dey dance around tension wey go come with di match.
Kick-off dey set for 9 p.m. CEST on April 16, as all eyes go dey on dis classic clash between di giants of European football.
