Can Arsenal surprise Real Madrid? – prediction & betting tip

Although Real Madrid are not at their best, the Spanish giants are the clear favourites to win the match against Arsenal.

This week sees the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, and on Tuesday we have two hotly contested matches. Arsenal and Real Madrid are so important for both sides that they will have to settle for second place in their respective leagues.

Both teams have had troubled seasons, mainly due to injuries. Arsenal may have just celebrated the return of Saka, but Gabriel is a key player in the defensive axis, which could spell doom for Real Madrid. However, the Premier League title is already gone, as was evident from his start in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Everton.

Team news

Mikael Arteta fielded a heavily rotated starting XI. Saka, Ödegaard and Martinelli were all substitutes. Arsenal have had problems with positioning all year, and now Merino could be back in the centre back position, which the manager is trying to solve by bringing on Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, not without success so far.

If the London side want anything in this match, they will have to get their defence in order, as it is hard to see Arsenal getting the better of Madrid. With a tight defence, the team will have to make the most of the few chances they have, and that could be the home side’s main hope.

Real Madrid’s recent form has not been good either. A 2-1 defeat to Valencia in the league could have doubly hurt them, as they could have closed the gap on Barcelona, but instead they have increased the gap by another point, which is now substantial. In the Spanish Cup, Real also sounded the tone with a defeat (in normal time), and the defence is currently on very fragile legs.

But the Champions League is a different kettle of fish, and the Royal Guard feel at home there. At the back, Lucas Vázquez and Alaba could be involved on the two flanks, leaving young talent Fran García out of the starting line-up. Tchouaméni is serving his ban while Ceballos remains injured. In midfield, a fairly strong trio of Camavinga, Valverde and Bellingham will be given the confidence, which also means Modric could start only on the bench. And the attacking line-up is of course the usual, with the French world champion alongside the pair of Rodrygo and Vinícius.

Free tip for Arsenal vs Real Madrid

The bookmakers are tipping these 90 minutes more and more in Arsenal’s favour, which we could probably accept if it wasn’t for the record champions Real Madrid. On the face of it, it’s a winner vs loser type of match, which rarely ends with the latter winning.

However, there is something to hold on to, even with Gabriel out. It would be surprising if Arteta were to rush Real Madrid, in fact the main objective is probably to keep Madrid at zero goals scored. However, catching Kylian Mbappe will be a very difficult task, and the home side are seriously weakened in terms of point kicks. Neither side would be unhappy with the iks, so we’ll take the draw at 3.50 for the first leg with super odds.

Our other tip is on the home side’s cards. A minimum of two cards for the Gunners would pay pretty good money, even though four of the five home BL games so far have resulted in at least two yellows.

The stakes are still high despite the first game, as the bulk of the season will depend on the next 180 minutes for the Cubs. A progression would be huge and could keep the dream alive, and that could result in a suitably fired up home team.