Mikel Arteta has described tonight as a chance for his Arsenal players to make history, but for Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid this is familiar territory.
A Champions League quarter-final does not weigh heavy on a side who have won the competition in six of the past 11 seasons, including last year.
Ancelotti has been at the heart of that golden age and was in charge for three of those triumphs. No manager has lifted the Champions League more times than the Italian, who also won it twice with AC Milan.
Creative freedom and flair have been central to Ancelotti’s success and it makes this showdown with Arsenal so intriguing.
There is a clear culture clash, with Arteta a believer in details and discipline. Indeed, the Arsenal boss once stated his side used 43 different formations in a single match.
After Real Madrid beat Liverpool in the Champions League final three years ago, Ancelotti claimed he did not know what formation his side played on their way to a 1-0 win.
“I believe strongly in the players’ creativity when they have the ball and I don’t like to make them obsess over predefined shapes, I leave it down to their initiative,” Ancelotti has said.
“I think the mistake that new generation coaches make is that they give too much information about the system on the ball. I think old school coaches like me prefer not to give too much information and allow freedom for creativity.”
Some may say it is easy for Ancelotti to have a laidback approach and willingness to give his players attacking licence when he possesses a forward line like the one Real Madrid have.
The quartet of Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior is, arguably, the best attack in Europe and the ultimate test of Arsenal’s defence.
“It’s impossible in 90 minutes to control these four players,” said Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola before his side faced Real Madrid earlier this season. “Everyone knows it.”
Arsenal’s solid defence will give them the belief they can stop Real Madrid’s forward line.
The Gunners have allowed their opponents fewer shots on target against them than any other team in the Champions League this season. Arteta’s side also rank first for xG against per game, while only Inter Milan have conceded fewer goals per game.
The blow for Arsenal is that they are without Gabriel, a key figure in their defence, after he injured his hamstring last week and was ruled out of the rest of the season.
Arteta faces a dilemma over who comes in for Gabriel. The obvious solution is Jakub Kiwior, who started at Everton on Saturday, but Ben White is another option.
The fear with White, though, is that he has started just once since undergoing knee surgery in November. Throwing him in against Mbappe could prove a big ask at this stage in his comeback.
Jurrien Timber is another player who could move to centre-back to partner Saliba, but Arteta will be tempted to keep the Dutchman at right-back as he looks best equipped to try and keep Vinicius quiet.
If defence is Arsenal’s biggest strength, then it is Madrid’s great weakness. The Spanish giants have now gone eight games without a clean sheet.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is fit again after missing the last three games through injury, but even so Arsenal should have some joy going forward.
Bukayo Saka holds the key and the winger has declared himself fit to start.
Saka made his comeback after three months out when he came off the bench against Fulham and Everton last week.
He will want to make the most of Real Madrid being without injured left-back Ferland Mendy.
Mendy has started all but one of Real Madrid’s games in the Champions League this season. One of David Alaba or Fran Garcia will have to start instead tonight.
Arsenal have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the second season running and Arteta believes they have learned from last year’s exit to Bayern Munich.
The Gunners drew the first leg at home 2-2 and Arteta has stressed how it is “very important” they take a lead to Madrid this time.
“There were moments in the first leg [against Bayern], especially in the first half where we absolutely had them, and we have to utilise those moments and be ruthless,” said Arteta.
“You have to put the game to bed and we didn’t, and on top of that we gave them two goals and made life much more difficult for us on the return leg in Munich.”
Arsenal ended up going out to Bayern and afterwards Arteta bemoaned a failure from his side to create “magic moments” in a tight tie.
A year on and the Gunners’ ability to do that remains questionable, especially when they are without a recognised striker.
Real Madrid, in contrast, have several players capable of winning games on their own - and a manager who is all too happy to let them do it.
