Arsenal travel to Sporting Lisbon for 1st leg quarter-final tie
Today’s unofficial Viktor Gyokeres derby sees Arsenal aiming to avoid a third consecutive defeat as they travel to Sporting Lisbon for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
The Gunners head into the contest after back-to-back setbacks, first falling to Manchester City in the EFL Cup final before suffering a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Southampton in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final, while the Portuguese hosts arrive on the back of three straight victories.
Arsenal’s pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple had briefly gathered momentum, though it always appeared a tall order and recent results have dealt a significant blow to their hopes of a historic clean sweep.
After being outclassed by Pep Guardiola’s Man City in the EFL Cup final, Mikel Arteta’s men then failed to make their superiority count in Saturday’s loss at St Mary’s, where Gyokeres’s equaliser was not enough to prevent the North London side from slipping to their first back-to-back defeats of the season.
However, dreams of a double remain very much alive, with the Gunners sitting nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table, albeit having played one game more than City in second place, while a return to Champions League action offers further reason for optimism.
Arsenal remain the only side yet to suffer defeat in Europe’s elite competition this season, finishing top of the league phase with a perfect record before overcoming Bayer Leverkusen across two legs in the round of 16.
As Arsenal aim to reach the semi-finals in successive seasons, and only a fourth time overall, Gyokeres will be eyeing a first taste of success in this fixture as he returns to his former stomping ground.
Both sides enter with contrasting momentum but possess strong records to draw confidence from, with Arsenal unbeaten in the first leg of their last eight European Cup/Champions League quarter-final ties (W3, D5), while Sporting are unbeaten in 20 home matches (W19, D1).
This encounter, therefore, appears finely balanced, with the two teams likely to cancel each other out in a contest that could feature goals at both ends, particularly if the Gunners are unable to field their strongest defensive pairing.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Real Madrid welcome Bayern to Santiago Bernabeu
Real Madrid welcome Bayern Munich to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu today for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
The two sides have faced one another more than any other pairing in the competition’s history, with Tuesday’s clash marking their 29th meeting.
Real Madrid are Europe’s supreme club, having lifted the Champions League trophy a record 15 times and they are chasing yet another crown this season.
Despite Los Blancos enduring a rather mixed campaign, most notably featuring the dismissal of Xabi Alonso and appointment of Alvaro Arbeloa, they remain in contention in both La Liga and the Champions League.
After narrowly missing out on a top-eight place in the league phase, Real Madrid narrowly dispatched Benfica 3-1 in the knockout playoff round before sensationally defeating Manchester City 5-1 in the last 16.
Real Madrid were subsequently drawn against a familiar foe in the quarter-finals, with Los Blancos set to face Bayern Munich for the 29th time – the most-played fixture in the competition’s history.
Real Madrid have had the slight upper hand in the matchup, winning 13 and losing 11 of their 28 meetings, while they remain unbeaten in their last nine clashes, with seven wins and two draws.
History also suggests that should Real Madrid prevail in this quarter-final, they will fancy their chances of lifting the trophy, having gone on to claim the Champions League crown each of the last four times they eliminated Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich, however, come into the quarter-final matchup as arguably the continent’s best-performing side this season, with Vincent Kompany‘s men among the favourites to lift the Champions League trophy.
The Bavarians have lost just two of 43 matches across all competitions this season, with their last defeat coming in a 2-1 loss to Augsburg in the Bundesliga on January 24.
Unlike Real Madrid, Bayern Munich booked their place directly into the last 16 thanks to a second-placed finish in the league phase, only finishing behind Arsenal – who they lost 3-1 to on matchday five.
Bayern Munich went on to make comfortable work of their last 16 clash with Atalanta, recording an emphatic 10-2 aggregate victory over the Italian side.
In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich hold an impressive nine-point lead at the top of the table, which allowed Kompany to rotate his side in their dramatic late win against Freiburg at the weekend.
Despite the rotation, as well as falling 2-0 behind, Bayern Munich ultimately extended their unbeaten streak with a stunning 3-2 comeback triumph.
That result, which extended their unbeaten run to 13 games, will give Bayern Munich great confidence heading into this clash, and they will be eager to end their winless streak against Los Blancos and claim the advantage before the second leg on home soil.
The hosts also boast a fantastic recent record against the German side, leading us to expect a win for Real Madrid.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Arsenal’s Rice and Gabriel train before Lisbon trip
Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Gabriel have trained before Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final with Sporting.
Midfielder Rice, 27, left the England squad following a medical assessment during March’s international break and missed Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final loss to Southampton.
Brazil defender Gabriel, meanwhile, was forced off with a knee issue after taking a knock during the defeat on the south coast.
Both players were involved in first-team training at the club’s London Colney base on Monday before Mikel Arteta’s side travel to Lisbon for the first leg.
Belgian winger Leandro Trossard also returned to training but Bukayo Saka was not involved after he also left the England camp early.
Premier League leaders Arsenal will seek to avoid a third straight defeat on Tuesday (20:00 BST), after the FA Cup exit followed their Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City.
They are nine points clear of second-placed City as they chase a first league title since 2003-04, and return to pursuing that target at home to Bournemouth on Saturday.
Boss Arteta and goalkeeper David Raya are scheduled to speak with the media in Portugal later on Monday.
Credit: bbc
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