Today Soccer Prediction Wednesday 16th April 2025

Real Madrid vs Arsenal, UEFA – Champions League, Bernabeu, 20:00

It is a win or bust for reigning Champions League champions Real Madrid on Wednesday night, where Carlo Ancelotti’s men must pull off the most sensational comeback against Arsenal in the second leg of their quarter-final to keep their dream of a sweet 16 alive.

The 15-time European Cup holders were slaughtered 3-0 at the Emirates in last week’s first leg, but Los Blancos now have the famed Bernabeu factor on their side.

As Manchester City and Chelsea can attest to, Champions League nights at the Bernabeu are anything but a foregone conclusion, although that 5-1 vs.

Derby marks just one of two occasions where Real have beaten an English side by at least four goals in the competition – the other was a 4-0 quarter-final battering of Tottenham Hotspur in 2011.

Having defied the absences of Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Magalhaes to rip Real Madrid to shreds in the English capital, Mikel Arteta’s men would be more than worthy semi-finalists, a stage they have only ever reached twice before and not since 2009.

If Arsenal can keep their clean sheet intact in the first 10 minutes – when the Bernabeu crowd is at its most boisterous – that should be a surefire recipe for success, although Real Madrid may have thought the same at the Emirates before the Gunners’ second-half show.

Arteta’s defence is stingy enough to avoid conceding the four goals that Real require to win in normal or extra time, though, and Los Blancos are vulnerable at the back.

One lucky Gunner can have their Henry moment to calm any nerves and send the holders packing, after which Paris Saint-Germain will stand in their way of Munich.

Today’s Banker Of The Day