Real Madrid will attempt to complete an unprecedented comeback when they take on Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Arsenal won the first leg 3-0 at the Emirates, courtesy of a brace of free-kicks from Declan Rice and a strike from Mikel Merino.
The three-goal deficit gives the Gunners a significant chance of progressing to the last four of Europe’s elite competition, although if anyone is capable of reversing the scoreline then it’s the 15-time winners.
Mikel Arteta’s men will have to be at their absolute best to ensure they prevent a stunning comeback at the Bernabeu, although they should fancy their chances even if the tie goes to extra-time and beyond.
Arsenal could exploit Real Madrid in a penalty shootout
Arsenal will hope they can progress to the semi-finals within 90 minutes, but if the game does go to extra-time, they shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the occasion.
The Gunners had the best defensive record in the League Phase of the competition in terms of expected goals conceded and open-play goals conceded, and they should subsequently be capable of seeing out a drab extra-time period.
If the game goes to penalties, then Arteta’s men should be buoyed by the prospect of facing Los Blancos from a shootout.
According to the Athletic, Real Madrid have the fifth-worst penalty record of any team in Europe’s top four leagues to have taken at least ten spot-kicks over the last two seasons.
They’ve missed five of their 15 penalties this campaign, including crucial Champions League efforts from Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool respectfully.
This conversion rate of 66.7% is significantly below the average penalty conversion rate of 80%.
Despite the Bernabeu potentially being a cauldron on Wednesday night, Carlo Ancelotti’s men are susceptible to choking under the pressure from the spot.
Real Madrid scrape past Alaves ahead of Arsenal clash
In preparation for the Champions League showdown, Real Madrid scraped past relegation-threatened Alaves on Sunday courtesy of a solitary goal from Eduardo Camavinga.
Mbappe was sent off seven minutes before half-time for a reckless challenge, meaning Ancelotti’s side had to play over 50 minutes with ten men – far from ideal preparation for the second leg.
The likes of Thibaut Courtois, Antonio Rudiger, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde and Rodrygo all played significant parts in the match, whilst Vinicius and Jude Bellingham were second-half substitutes.
Real Madrid made a request to move the Alaves encounter a day earlier, to give themselves an additional day of rest before the Arsenal game, but this request was swiftly rejected by La Liga.
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