Arsenal Women face an uphill battle when they host Real Madrid Feminino in the Uefa Women’s Champions League this week.
The Gunners have to overcome a two-goal deficit if they are to reach the semi-finals of this year’s competition after losing the first leg 2-0 away.
Aside from the injured Lotte Wubben-Moy, Arsenal manager Renee Sleger has a full complement of players to choose from for the midweek clash.
Las Blancas, on the other hand, are missing three key players. Melanie Leupolz suffered a torn lateral ligament in last week’s home leg, ruling her out for the rest of the season alongside Teresa Abelleira and Rocio Galvez.
The north London outfit’s most recent trip to the last four in 2022/23, but haven’t won the competition since 2006/07. Real, meanwhile, have never gotten further than the quarter-finals.
Arsenal vs Real Madrid – UCWL match preview and team news
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Arsenal: WLWLW
Arsenal Women have been imperious in the Women’s Super League over the past two months, with their last league defeat coming against Chelsea on 26 January.
It’s in the knockout competitions where they have come unstuck. They lost to Manchester City in the League Cup semi-finals last month before getting knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool and losing to Real in Europe.
The Gunners have averaged four goals in their last four league outings, beating Spurs, West Ham United, Everton and Liverpool during that run. They currently sit second in the WSL table, eight points adrift of leaders Chelsea.
Real Madrid: WLDWW
Real come into the second leg off the back of their two biggest wins of the season, following up victory over Arsenal with their first ever win against rivals Barcelona. That has seen them close the gap between them and leaders Barça to four points with just five games remaining.
That result is even more remarkable given they had just been battered 8-1 on aggregate by the same opposition in the Copa de la Reina and rested some of their key players for Wednesday’s game.
Last Meeting
Real Madrid 2-0 Arsenal, Uefa Women’s Champions League quarter-final first leg, 18 March 2025
The opening leg played out on a muddy pitch at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano, which Arsenal legend Ian Wright called a “disgrace”. It evidently impacted the visitor’s performance as Real came away with a major victory.
Linda Caicedo opened the scoring after 21 minutes when she capitalised on a defensive lapse from Leah Williamson, firing the ball past goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger.
The hosts broke on the counter again for their second goal. Scotland international and ex-Arsenal player Caroline Weir marauded forward before releasing Athenea del Castillo, whose belting strike was too much for Zinsberger to repel despite getting a hand to the ball.
What time does Arsenal vs Real Madrid kick off?
The game will kick off at 8pm UK time at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, 26 March.
What TV channel will Arsenal vs Real Madrid be on?
The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and the DAZN YouTube channel.
Predicted Lineups
Arsenal Women XI: Van Domselaar; Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe; Walti, Maanum; Kelly, Caldentey, Foord; Russo.
Real Madrid Feminino XI: Misa; Garcia, Lakrar, Mendez, Carmona; Toletti, Angeldal; Del Castillo, Weir, Caicedo; Redondo.
Arsenal vs Real Madrid betting odds
Arsenal Women: 4/11
Draw: 19/5
Real Madrid Feminino: 6/1
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