Real Madrid vs Arsenal facts

Real Madrid and Arsenal meet for the first time in the opening first leg of the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-finals.

Real Madrid won four of their six games (L2) to finish second in Group B behind Chelsea, while Arsenal were first in Group C ahead of Bayern München, Juventus and Vålerenga after winning five of their six games.

Form guide

Real Madrid

Record vs English clubs W2 D3 L4 F10 A13
Home record vs English clubs W1 D3 L1

This is Madrid's tenth fixture against an English club, and second in a row after their 1-2 defeat by Chelsea on Matchday 6 – their first home loss to English visitors in their fifth game (W1 D3). That was also their second loss to Chelsea this season after going down 2-3 in England on Matchday 1.

Those defeats made it three in succession against English clubs, and extended Madrid's winless run to six games (D2 L4).

Madrid have won just two of their ten games against English teams, both 1-0 against Manchester City; the first in the second leg of a round 2 meeting in 2021/22 – completing a 2-1 aggregate victory – and the second in round 1 the following season.

Signe Bruun was Madrid's top scorer in the group stage with five goals.

Madrid were in the group stage for a fourth consecutive season, and advanced for only the second time. The first was on their competition debut in 2021/22 when they finished second in a section featuring Paris Saint-Germain, WFC Kharkiv and Breidablik. They lost an all-Spanish quarter-final against Barcelona 3-8 on aggregate (1-3 h, 2-5 a), their only previous last-eight appearance.

Las Blancas qualified for this season's group stage by defeating Sporting CP over two legs in round 2. Melanie Leupolz scored in added time in Portugal to secure a 2-1 first-leg away win on 19 September, before Sandie Toletti struck twice in a 3-1 victory in Madrid a week later.

The Spanish side's record at home in the Women's Champions League this season is W3 L1.

Madrid were second in the Spanish Liga in 2023/24, 15 points behind Barcelona. It was the third time in four seasons they had finished as runners-up.

Arsenal

Record vs Spanish clubs W5 D2 L3 F22 A16
Away record vs Spanish clubs W1 D1 L2

Arsenal have not faced Spanish opposition since the 2021/22 group stage, when they lost twice to Barcelona (1-4 a, 0-4 h).

The London club lost just one of their first eight games against teams from Spain, and had won three in a row before the away defeat by Barcelona.

A 3-0 victory against Barcelona in the 2012/13 round of 32 first leg (7-0 agg) is Arsenal's only win in Spain (D1 L2).

Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo led the group stage scoring charts for Arsenal with four goals apiece.

Including this season, Arsenal have been quarter-finalists on 16 occasions – a joint-record with Lyon. They have progressed to the semi-finals on seven of their previous 15 attempts, with their most recent participation a 2-1 aggregate victory against Bayern München in 2022/23 (0-1 a, 2-0 h).

Arsenal were crowned champions of Europe in 2006/07 when they defeated Umeå in a two-legged final. Alex Scott's swerving effort from distance in the final moments of the first leg in Sweden was the only goal across both games.

The Gunners remain the only English club to win the competition. In addition to their 2007 triumph, they have reached the semi-finals on a further six occasions.

This is Arsenal's 17th participation in the Women's Champions League; they competed in the group stage for a third time having missed out last season.

Their 2024/25 Women's Champions League journey began with a 6-0 win over Rangers on 4 September at Meadow Park, Caitlin Foord scoring four, before they beat Rosenborg 1-0 in the round 1 final at the same venue three days later. In round 2, the Gunners lost 0-1 in the first leg away to Swedish side BK Häcken, but a 4-0 home victory in the second leg sent them into the group stage.

Arsenal's away record in Europe this season is W2 L2.

Arsenal finished third in the Women's Super League last season, five points behind both Manchester City and champions Chelsea, but former coach Jonas Eidevall did lead them to a second consecutive FA Women's League Cup title.

Renée Slegers took over from Eidevall in October.

Key facts

• Real Madrid have won six of their eight Champions League matches this season (L2).

• The Spanish side have lost only three of their previous 14 European games in Madrid (W8 D3).

• Arsenal are the only team in the quarter-finals to have started the 2024/25 edition in round 1.

• The north London club have won their last five Champions League matches. Their best sequence of successive wins in the competition is six, set in 2012/13.