Real Madrid vs Arsenal Prediction 16 April 2025

⚪ Real Madrid have become an even more talked-about team following Kylian Mbappe's transfer. The French star didn't adapt immediately, but he's started to make an impact. He's currently the second top scorer in La Liga. However, Mbappe hasn't registered any goal involvements in the last four matches, and Madrid have managed just one win in that stretch, defeating Alaves 1-0 last weekend. Notably, the Frenchman was shown a red card in the first half of that match.

🔗 Real Madrid are often said to succeed without outplaying their opponents, particularly in the Champions League. But nothing of the sort happened in London. The Spaniards weren't favorites at the Emirates, but no one expected a rout either. Real fielded a competitive lineup but created almost nothing up front and conceded three goals.

📣 Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti commented on the defeat in London: “We couldn't respond today. When we tried to do it through individual actions, we were punished and lost some control. The opponent managed the ball better-the result is disappointing.” However, the Italian believes his team can still bounce back: “We need to believe, keep that faith, because such comebacks have happened many times at the Bernabeu.”

❌ In the upcoming match, Dani Carvajal will not play as he recovers from a serious injury, and it's uncertain if he'll regain his former form. That's why the club is trying to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool. Eder Militao is also sidelined. The participation of Andriy Lunin and Ferland Mendy is doubtful as they've missed recent games due to injury. Eduardo Camavinga will also be unavailable after picking up an unnecessary yellow card and then being sent off in the last match.

🔴 Arsenal are unbeaten in six consecutive Premier League matches. However, most of these games have ended in draws. This situation means Liverpool could potentially clinch the title next weekend. Nevertheless, the Gunners' second place in the standings remains secure for now. In their last outing, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford. It's been calculated that Arsenal have dropped 16 points this season from winning positions, just one less than their combined total over the past two Premier League seasons.

🔗 In contrast, their first Champions League quarter-final match went smoothly. Declan Rice opened the scoring and doubled the lead himself, both times from direct free-kicks. Such a feat has never been seen before in the Champions League knockout stages. Mikel Merino, who has been forced to adapt as a forward this season, sealed the rout in the closing stages.

📣 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is thrilled with Declan Rice's performance: “Declan was very determined. We've been telling him for months that we hadn't scored from a direct free-kick since September 2021. The drought was lengthy, and now a player who had never scored from a free-kick has delivered two such masterful goals.” However, the Spaniard knows the quarter-final is far from over: “We know our opponent. We know the second leg will be different from what we saw today.”

❌ Arsenal will be without Gabriel for the rest of the season, who was considered one of the Premier League's best defenders. Also sidelined are Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Ben White's participation is doubtful after missing the last Premier League match. Jorginho and Thomas Partey are also uncertain after picking up injuries against Brentford.