Real Madrid vs Arsenal facts

Real Madrid's defence of the UEFA Champions League is hanging by a thread as they welcome Arsenal for the quarter-final second leg needing to overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The Gunners are within sight of a first semi-final since 2009 thanks to a stunning second-half showing in north London on 8 April, two sublime Declan Rice free-kicks (58, 70) added to by Mikel Merino's 75th-minute strike, Madrid's troubles compounded by Eduardo Camavinga's second yellow card in the 90th minute.

The holders ousted neighbours Atlético de Madrid 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate draw in the round of 16 and have already enjoyed success against English opponents in 2025, beating Premier League champions Manchester City in the knockout phase play-offs – including a 3-1 success in the home second leg.

Arsenal – who have won only two of their eight European Cup quarter-finals – were 9-3 aggregate winners against PSV Eindhoven in the last 16, their 7-1 first-leg win the first time a team had scored seven goals in an away knockout match.

Previous meetings

2005/06 Champions League round of 16
Real Madrid 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 0-0 Real Madrid
Thierry Henry's fine solo strike 47 minutes into the first leg made Arsenal the first English team to win at the Santiago Bernabéu and proved the only goal of the tie.

The Gunners went on to reach their only European Cup final, keeping ten successive clean sheets en route, but conceded two late goals to lose 2-1 to Barcelona in the final at the Stade de France.

Form guide

Real Madrid

Record vs English clubs: W26 D16 L19 F94 A80
Home record vs English clubs: W13 D9 L4

This is Madrid's second knockout tie against Premier League opponents this season; they beat Manchester City 6-3 on aggregate in the knockout phase play-offs (3-2 a, 3-1 h).

The first leg was Madrid's second defeat in England this season; they went down 2-0 at Liverpool on Matchday 5.

A 3-2 second-leg loss after extra time to Chelsea in the 2021/22 quarter-finals – a tie Madrid won 5-4 on aggregate – is one of only four they have suffered at home to English clubs.

Madrid's record in two-legged knockout ties against English clubs is now W15 L7. They have ten aggregate victories in the last 13, although their last three Champions League eliminations have all been by Premier League opponents – Chelsea in the 2020/21 semi-finals (1-1 h, 0-2 a) and Manchester City in the 2019/20 round of 16 (1-2 h, 1-2 a) and 2022/23 semi-finals (1-1 h, 0-4 a).

Including the 2021/22 final, this is the 11th time Madrid have been paired with English opposition in their last 16 Champions League knockout ties, and the ninth in the last 13.

Madrid are in the European Cup quarter-finals for the 40th time, more than any other side. Their record is W33 L6 with wins in their last 12.

Madrid are making their 21st Champions League quarter-final appearance, behind only Bayern München (23).

Carlo Ancelotti's team claimed Madrid's record-extending 15th European Cup in 2023/24 with a 2-0 final victory against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.

The Spanish side have won 22 of their last 29 home European games (D4 L3), the 1-3 defeat by AC Milan on Matchday 4 ending a 16-match unbeaten run (W13 D3). Madrid have scored 18 goals in winning their other five home matches this season, against Stuttgart (3-1), Dortmund (5-2), Salzburg (5-1), Manchester City (3-1) and Atlético de Madrid (2-1).

Madrid have overturned a first-leg away defeat 25 times in UEFA competition, failing on a further 16 occasions, although they have won the last three, beating Paris Saint-Germain (0-1 a, 3-1 h) and Manchester City (3-4 a, 3-1 h aet) in the round of 16 and semi-final respectively of the 2021/22 Champions League. They were also victorious on the sole previous occasion they lost the away first leg 0-3, against Anderlecht in the third round of their triumphant UEFA Cup campaign in 1984/85 (6-1 h).

Madrid's record in six UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W4 L2:
5-6 v Crvena Zvezda, 1974/75 European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final
3-1 v Juventus, 1986/87 European Cup second round
1-3 v Bayern München, 2011/12 Champions League semi-final
5-3 v Atlético de Madrid, 2015/16 Champions League final
4-3 v Manchester City, 2023/24 Champions League quarter-final
4-2 v Atlético de Madrid, 2024/25 Champions League round of 16

Arsenal

Record vs Spanish clubs: W16 D9 L16 F57 A52
Away record vs Spanish clubs: W5 D3 L11

Arsenal have already won in Spain this season, a 2-1 success at debutants Girona on Matchday 8.

The first leg of this tie equalled Arsenal's biggest European Cup victory against a Spanish side and made it six victories in the Gunners' last eight games against Liga opponents, home and away (D1 L1).

The win at Girona was only Arsenal's fifth in their 19 fixtures away to Spanish sides, although they have three victories – and five defeats – in their last eight visits.

This is the London club's first knockout tie against Spanish opponents since losing to Villarreal in the 2020/21 Europa League semi-finals, going down 2-1 both in the away first leg and on aggregate.

The Gunners' record in two-legged ties with Liga clubs is W6 L6 – they have been beaten in five of the last six.

Arsenal's record in European Cup quarter-finals is W2 L6.

Mikel Arteta's side finished first in Group B last season and then edged past Porto on penalties – their first round of 16 success since 2009/10, also against the Portuguese side – but lost to Bayern München in the quarter-finals (2-2 h, 0-1 a).

Having not featured in the Champions League proper between 2016/17 and 2023/24, Arsenal are making their second successive appearance.

Arsenal have won 15 of their last 26 away European matches, losing only six – although those defeats have come in their last 16. This season they have drawn at Atalanta (0-0), lost 0-1 at Inter Milan and won at Sporting CP (5-1), Girona (2-1) and PSV.

Arsenal have won the first leg at home in 20 UEFA competition ties and have prevailed in 18, most recently against Valencia in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League semi-final (3-1 h, 4-2 a). The two times they have failed to qualify following first-leg victories in north London came after 2-1 scorelines against Spanish opponents, to Valencia in the 2000/01 Champions League quarter-final (0-1 a) and Barcelona (1-3 a) in the 2010/11 round of 16. They have won all three ties in which the home first leg finished 3-0.

Arsenal's record in six UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W3 L3:
4-5 v Valencia, 1979/80 European Cup Winners' Cup final
3-2 v Sampdoria, 1994/95 Cup Winners' Cup semi-final
1-4 v Galatasaray, 1999/2000 UEFA Cup final
7-6 v Roma, 2008/09 Champions League round of 16
3-5 v Sporting CP, 2022/23 Europa League round of 16
4-2 v Porto, 2023/24 Champions League round of 16

Links and trivia

Martin Ødegaard signed for Madrid in January 2015 aged 17 and played in the club's youth teams for three seasons. He was loaned to Real Sociedad in 2019/20, scoring the first goal in a 4-3 win at Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals on 6 February 2020. He lost both La Liga matches against the Merengues.

Ødegaard made eight league appearances for Madrid before signing for Arsenal in January 2021.

Dani Ceballos played on loan at Arsenal between 2019 and 2021, scoring twice in 77 appearances in all competitions.

Have also played in England:
Luka Modrić (Tottenham 2008–12)
Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea 2014–18)
Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea 2017–22)
Jude Bellingham (Birmingham City 2010–19)
Brahim Díaz (Manchester City 2015–19)

Have also played in Spain:
Mikel Merino (Osasuna 2014–16, Real Sociedad 2018–24)
Thomas Partey (Atlético de Madrid 2012–20, Mallorca 2013/14 loan, Almería 2014/15 loan)
Kieran Tierney (Real Sociedad 2023/24 loan)
Neto (Valencia 2017–19, Barcelona 2019–22)

Have played together:
Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus & Brahim Díaz (Manchester City 2017–19)
Raheem Sterling & Brahim Díaz (Manchester City 2017/18)
Antonio Rüdiger & Kai Havertz (Chelsea 2020–22)

Havertz and Rüdiger were in the Chelsea team that won the 2021 Champions League, Havertz scoring the only goal of the final against Manchester City.

International team mates:
Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vázquez, Dani Ceballos, Fran García, Raúl Asencio & David Raya, Mikel Merino (Spain)
Éder Militão, Rodrygo, Vinícius Júnior, Endrick & Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus (Brazil)
Jude Bellingham & Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, Myles Lewis-Skelly (England)
Kylian Mbappé, Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouaméni & William Saliba (France)
Andriy Lunin & Oleksandr Zinchenko (Ukraine)
Thibaut Courtois & Leandro Trossard (Belgium)
Antonio Rüdiger & Kai Havertz (Germany)

Latest news

Real Madrid

The first leg was Luka Modrić's 133rd European Cup appearance for Madrid, level with Karim Benzema and behind only Iker Casillas (152).

The Spanish champions returned to within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona with a 1-0 victory at Alavés on Sunday, Eduardo Camavinga scoring the only goal in the first half four minutes before Kylian Mbappé's first red card for Madrid.

That ended Madrid's run of three games without a win (D1 L2), their longest sequence since February-March 2023.

Defeat at Arsenal was Madrid's fourth in ten games in all competitions (W5 D1) – as many as in their previous 27 (W20 D3).

Madrid had won three successive La Liga fixtures before conceding in the 95th minute to go down 1-2 at home to Valencia on 5 April.

Mbappé has five goals in his last five league appearances, 19 in 22 Madrid games in 2025 and 33 in all competitions this season.

On 1 April, Real Madrid drew 4-4 after extra time against Real Sociedad in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, going through 5-4 on aggregate. They will play Barcelona in the final on 26 April in Seville.

Endrick, who got Madrid's opener, has five goals in five Copa del Rey games this season, and seven goals in all competitions in just 575 minutes of action.

Dani Ceballos came on in added time on Sunday having not played since suffering a muscle injury in the first leg against Real Sociedad on 26 February.

Ferland Mendy has been out since suffering a hamstring injury on 12 March.

Dani Carvajal (out since 5 October) and Éder Militão (9 November) are expected to miss the rest of the season with knee injuries.

Arsenal

Arsenal are unbeaten in nine games in all competitions (W4 D5). They were held 1-1 at home by Brentford on Saturday, making it ten points from their last seven Premier League games.

A 0-1 home defeat by West Ham on 22 February is Arsenal's sole loss in 22 Premier League matches (W12 D9), since losing by the same scoreline at Newcastle on 2 November, although they are 13 points behind leaders Liverpool.

Bukayo Saka, who had been sidelined by a hamstring injury since 21 December, returned as a substitute against Fulham on 1 April, scoring the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory, and also came on at Everton before starting against Madrid.

Thomas Partey went off on Saturday, when Jorginho suffered a suspected rib injury. Ben White missed the game.

Gabriel is not expected to play again this season after suffering a hamstring injury that requires surgery against Fulham.

Riccardo Calafiori has missed the last four matches after suffering a knee injury in training during the March international break.

On 12 February Arsenal confirmed Kai Havertz is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in training.

Gabriel Jesus is also facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after damaging the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the FA Cup defeat by Manchester United on 12 January.

Takehiro Tomiyasu has been out since 5 October due to a knee injury.

Myles Lewis-Skelly marked his England debut with the opening goal in a 2-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying win against Albania at Wembley on 21 March.