Arsenal are strong favourites to advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League
Real Madrid have a tough task to make amends for a 2-1 loss when they host Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The match comes in light of Bayern Munich's brilliance this season at various levels, while Real Madrid has lost all domestic competitions and has only the European Championship to save its season.
Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is leading the Bavarian side's ambitions in what could be his last season before putting an end to his career. Although he is no longer the adventurous goalkeeper who plays the role of "libero" behind the defence as he was at the height of his career, the two-time Champions League winner produced an outstanding performance in the first leg in Madrid, where he was named man of the match after saving nine shots and succeeding in limiting the danger of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. Neuer turns 40 in March and his contract with Neuer ends The club is at the end of the season, amid talk of the possibility of extending it for another year, while it continues to study its future.
Bayern Munich chief executive Jan-Christian Driesen said last week: "We had what Real, a world-class goalkeeper, didn't have, our decisive factor." Neuer remains the only Bayern player to have beaten Real Madrid back and forth, as since beating the Spanish giants in the 2012 semi-finals, Bayern have not won in their next eight games against the Royals, until last week's game. However, Bayern's players are aware that the clash with Real Madrid, who have won a record 15 times, remain the most frequent in the history of European competitions with 29 matches, imposing caution despite the first leg progress.
5 players threatened with suspension
Real Madrid are at risk of losing five of their stars if they get past Bayern Munich and qualify for the semi-finals, due to suspension. French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni will miss the second leg after receiving a yellow card in the first leg. Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe are also in danger of missing the next round, despite their importance at the heart of the result, while Jude Bellingham is on the list of threats, along with defensive duo Alvaro Carreiras and Dean Huysen. Rodrygo's name also appears on the list, but His current injury will prevent him from participating.
Arsenal's ambitions
In the second match, Arsenal go into the match against Sporting in London with relative comfort after winning the first leg in Lisbon (1-0). But the London side are in the final months of a gruelling season, having lost three of their last four games. They missed their first chance to win the League Cup final by losing to Manchester City (0-2) and then were knocked out of the cup quarter-finals by Southampton. Frustrations were compounded by the shock defeat to Bournemouth (1-2) at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, reviving Manchester City's hope of denying Arsenal their first Premier League title in 22 years.