Real Madrid

Real Madrid have had a difficult season, by Real Madrid standards anyway.

They have stuttered throughout a lot of the campaign. They have already lost four more games in La Liga than they did over the course of 2023-24 and have conceded more goals with eight games to play than they did throughout the entirety of last season.

And yet, they are in the final of the Copa del Rey, they could still win La Liga and whatever their form, the proposition of Real Madrid in the Champions League can bring jitters to the best of clubs.

Their recent form though has been far from convincing and will provide a source of optimism from those in the Arsenal camp.

Last eight:

• Real Madrid 1-2 Valencia
• Real Madrid 4-4 Real Sociedad (AET, Madrid win 5-4 on agg)
• Real Madrid 3-2 Leganes
• Villarreal 1-2 Real Madrid
• Atletico Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid (Real win 4-2 on pens)
• Real Madrid 2-1 Rayo Vallecano
• Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico Madrid
• Real Betis 2-1 Real Madrid

While we are very Arsenal focused today, we do have to touch on Tuesday evening's opposition briefly.

Starting with a look at Real Madrid's form over recent weeks.

And being frank, it may bring a spark of optimism into those more worried Gunners fans going into tomorrow.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes Tuesday evening's Champions League first leg quarter-final tie against Real Madrid will be one of the biggest games of his managerial career.

Speaking in his pre-match news conference, Arteta said that he and his team were "very proud" to have reached this stage and claimed they are "ready to deliver" tomorrow evening.

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Our live streams are never ending for you Arsenal lot today.

We'll be taking you live to the Sobha Realty Training Centre from 15:00 BST to watch Mikel Arteta's squad train before tomorrow evening's match.

Arteta revealed earlier today that the squad came through Saturday's game against Everton unscathed.

Like before, you'll be able to click 'Watch live' when it appears at the top of the page to tune in.

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Image source, Getty Images

Earlier on in his news conference Bukayo Saka shed light on his comeback goal celebration.

He said: "Sam Wilson and Ricky [O'Donoghue] worked closely with me in my rehab every day. The days that people didn't see.

"Some days were tougher than usual but they were always there pushing me. Ricky couldn't make it [to the game], he had to be with his son that night so he wasn't in the stadium. I always told them that if I did score after I came back, I would come and thank them both. Sam was there, Ricky wasn’t, so I gave Sam a hug to let him know I appreciate the effort."

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After his return from injury against Fulham, BBC Sport had a look at the stats behind his impact.

In the 16 games that the Bukayo Saka was available in the Premier League for Arsenal, they scored 34 goals at a rate of 2.1 per game.

In the 13 that he missed, the Gunners scored 19 at a rate of 1.5 per match - highlighting Saka's importance to the side.

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Bukayo Saka came off the bench and scored just seven minutes into his return against Fulham on Tuesday.

The winger also came off the bench against Everton on Sunday.

He had been out for 101 days with a hamstring injury that required an operation.

Where does this one rank for you, Arsenal fans?

Boss Mikel Arteta believes it is one of the biggest games in his managerial career.

Does it eclipse that recent FA Cup final in terms of importance for you as a fan? Or is it too early in the competition to be classed at that level yet?

Get in touch using the usual methods and have your say!

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The Arsenal boss said the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid is 'one hundred per cent' one of the biggest games of his career in management.

In his first season in charge Mikel Arteta lifted the FA Cup with Arsenal. The Gunners beat Chelsea 2-1 and Arteta became the first manager to win the FA Cup with Arsenal as a captain and a coach.

Image source, Getty Images

While Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has never publicly stated that he has given up on the Premier League title race - Saturday's team selection against Everton appeared to be visual confirmation of where his priorities now lie.

Captain Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Gabriel Martinelli were among those that started on the bench with one eye clearly now on team selection for Tuesday evening's Champions League tie against Real Madrid.

Bukayo Saka also had to settle for a place on the bench though his absence from the starting eleven was more understandable due to his recent return from injury.

It would, however, be safe to assume that Saka, along with the other three mentioned, will all be on the pitch from the off on Tuesday evening.

Image source, Getty Images

Well, for those with short memories - it was just last year! Though we won't talk about the result.

It marks the second season in a row that Arsenal have reached this stage of the competition, having not been there since 2009-10 prior to that.

Progressing beyond this stage has proved tricky for the Gunners though and they haven't done so since the 2008-09 season. A 4-1 aggregate victory over Spanish side Villarreal saw them reach the final four for just the second time in their history.

Right then, that's all from both news conferences this afternoon.

Absolutely jam-packed they were!

Before we move on to the big preview - how are you feeling, Arsenal fans? Is it all becoming real (unintentional pun) that you have to take on Real Madrid over two legs starting tomorrow now?

Fancying your chances?

I can't say I'll ever get to see my team (don't ask) play in the quarter-final of a Champions League so interested to hear how you're all feeling right now!

Image source, Getty Images

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Bukayo Saka on playing against Real Madrid being the kind of game he dreamed of as a kid: "Most definitely! It's a very big night and the stakes are high against one of the best teams in the competition. So I think it’s a game that I definitely want to be involved in."

Image source, Getty Images

Saka not giving the journos any headlines with his answer there.

Great footwork to cut inside and dodge a pretty awkward question. A veteran move.

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Bukayo Saka how far he think he is from the level of the likes of Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe: "I think it's very opinionated. I think everyone will have something different to say but I don't really want to sit here saying they're a level above me and stuff like that because that's not the way I think. I'll just leave everyone to have their opinion but other things will speak for itself."

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Bukayo Saka on the Ballon d'Or: "It's a dream. I think it's a dream for a lot of players. I'm just working hard to do my best for my team."

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Bukayo Saka on how he feels in terms of match sharpness: "I feel good, obviously you can't defy nature, you need to get on the pitch, get your minutes up but I'm feeling good and the last two games I feel like I've gone from strength to strength."

Image source, Getty Images

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Bukayo Saka was also asked about his contract situation: "For me I want to win and I want to win wearing this badge so I think it's pretty clear. The fans know how much I love them and you saw on Tuesday I think they loved me back so it's a good relationship and I'm really happy to be here. I'm just focused on winning.

"It just reassured everything. It was special. You had to be in the stadium [on Tuesday] to really understand and feel the noise and energy they brought for me. I'm really grateful, I just want to win here."

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More from Bukayo Saka: "It would mean a lot to us. It's the first time the club has been in back-to-back Champions League quarter finals for a while now so tomorrow night we want to take the next step and try and get over the line.

"It's Madrid, you have to respect that and accept what they've done in the history but tomorrow anything can happen, we can't focus too much on that."

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Bukayo Saka on the club's academy: "The latest example is those two boys - Myles [Lewis-Skelly] and Ethan [Nwaneri] and how talented they both are. I'm always there for them if they want to ask me any questions - they do sometimes, sometimes they don't but I always make myself available to them. I'm really proud to see the steps that they are making and I hope they keep grounded and keep working hard.

"This is Arsenal, this is what we do. We've done it in the past and I just hope we keep continuing to do it so we can save more money!"

Image source, Getty Images