Real Madrid vs Arsenal LIVE!
Arsenal snuffed out any chance of a famous Real Madrid comeback to reach the Champions League semi-finals after a 2-1 victory in the Bernabeu Stadium completed a 5-1 aggregate win on Wednesday.
Holders and 15-times winners Real never looked like clawing back a 3-0 deficit from last week's quarter-final first leg and when Bukayo Saka scored for the visitors in the 65th minute their fate was effectively sealed.
Vinicius Junior seized on a rare defensive slip a couple of minutes later to rouse the home crowd, but it proved too little too late as Carlo Ancelotti's side exited in feeble fashion. Arsenal's superiority over the two legs was underlined in stoppage time as Gabriel Martinelli burst through to score. They will face Paris St Germain in their first Champions League semi-final since 2009.
Real Madrid vs Arsenal latest news
- Kick-off: 8pm BST | Santiago Bernabeu
- How to watch: TNT Sports
- Arsenal XI: Arteta names unchanged lineup
- Real Madrid XI: Mbappe starts, Modric benched
- Score prediction
Full-time!
22:01 , Alex Young96min: Arsenal are Champions League semi-finalists!
GOAL!!!!
21:59 , Alex Young93min: Gabriel Martinelli puts the cherry on top! A brilliant counter and Fran Garcia is left for dust.
90min: Five minutes added on. Arsenal fans making lots of noise.
85min: Partey booked, he will miss the first leg of the semi-finals.
Simon Collings at Santiago Bernabeu
21:46 , Alex YoungDeclan Rice charging down that free-kick like a man possessed. He has been a monster tonight. Covered so much ground.
80min: Valverde’s effort is blocked by Rice. Of course.
79min: Timber trips Vinicius on the edge of the area. Dangerous free kick.
77min: Saka is replaced, replaced by Trossard. He limps to the bench, but he’s fine.
75min: Mbappe cannot continue. Brahim is on to replace.
74min: Concern for Mbappe now, who appears to have rolled his ankle.
72min: Rice is just mopping up everything, everywhere. It’s another masterclass.
Simon Collings at Santiago Bernabeu
21:35 , Alex YoungSaliba has been immense tonight, but that was so poor. A lifeline for Madrid when they have created so little.
GOALLLLL!!!!
21:33 , Alex Young67min: Or maybe not?!
Vinicius hits back straight away and it’s a howler from Saliba who gets mugged on the edge of the area to gift an equaliser!
GOAL!!!!!!!!
21:31 , Alex Young65min: That should be that! Saka silences the Bernabeu, holding his finger to his lips, after chipping Courtois.
A great pass by Merino.
Madrid now need FOUR!
63min: Endrick's first involvement is to get nutmegged by Martinelli.
61min: Rodrygo, Vaquez and Alaba are off. Ceballos, Endrick and Fran Garcia are on.
60min: An hour gone and Arsenal look so comfortable. Madrid tempers are raising, though.
57min: Endrick also coming on.
56min: Ceballos coming on for Madrid.
55min: Arsenal continue to marshal Madrid so well. Mbappe is just not involved as his team-mates don’t know how to find him.;
51min: Madrid still to properly put Arsenal under pressure, though Timber has just committed a foul throw.
48min: Madrid are dominating possession but Arsenal are currently happy for them to have it.
Second half
21:10 , Alex Young46min: Back underway!
A bit of back and forth between Bukayo Saka and Dani Carvajal at half-time.
🚨Dani Carvajal vs Bukayo Saka in the tunnel.#RealMadridVsArsenal
— Alcides Jr motta (@Alcides80175581) April 16, 2025
pic.twitter.com/jGVcQA3ZGX
Real Madrid have been bossing the possession and chances... but Arsenal have not looked under much strain.
The Gunners are 45 minutes from the semi-finals.
Half-time
20:55 , Alex Young53min: There’s the whistle from the ref, followed by many from the stands.
50min: Vazquez with another cross from deep, but Raya is more than a match.
The Arsenal keeper has barely had to break a sweat so far.
48min: Ball almost falls to Martinelli as Arsenal push Madrid back, but a heavy touch lets him down.
46min: Seven minutes added on.
44min: Another corner, this time Merino does head clear at the front post.
Vinicius Jr isn’t getting a sniff out of Timber down that left flank.
43min: Another corner as Vazquez’s cross is flicked behind. Delivery is much better, fizzed into the near post, Merino misses it but Raya punches away.
42min: Corner comes in, Raya punching the ball away through a group of players.
41min: Madrid are racking up the corners, but Saliba is marshalling this defence so well.
Simon Collings at the Santiago Bernabeu
20:41 , Alex YoungDavid Raya getting a yellow card for time-wasting was the most nailed on booking tonight. Just a surprise it's come in the 36th minute.
36min: Raya is now booked for time-wasting. Still a long way to go, David.
32min: Alaba goes through the back of Saka, to give away another needless foul. He’s on a yellow, so is walking a tightrope.
30min: Madrid have now also lost their momentum. Half an hour gone and Raya hasn’t been called into action.
Simon Collings at the Santiago Bernabeu
20:32 , Alex YoungThat VAR check felt like an age with all the jeers.
Another huge moment for Arsenal, though, and relief for Rice - who looked gutted and was having to be consoled by Partey.
NO PENALTY!
20:31 , Alex Young28min: The referee overturns his decision and Rice’s yellow card is also ruled out.
What a ridiculous few minutes. Soft as anything and took an absolute age.
27min: Now the referee is going to the monitor. Will he rule it out?
26min: VAR continue to check. It’s been three minutes.
PENALTY TO REAL MADRID!
20:26 , Alex Young23min: Mbappe fouled by Rice, who is immediately booked!
Rice will miss the first leg of the semi-final if this stands.
Simon Collings at the Santiago Bernabeu
20:25 , Alex YoungArsenal are a quarter of the way there, but it feels like so much has already happened. Frantic pace to this.
20min: Fantastic ball across the penalty area by Bellingham, but Mbappe doesn’t react quick enough to slot home.
17min: Everything Arsenal do is met with huge, defeaning whistles. But the Madrid fans have not seen their team properly test Raya yet.
Simon Collings at the Santiago Bernabeu
20:18 , Alex YoungWow. What a moment that is. The Bernabeu has, somehow, got even louder.
COURTOIS SAVES!
20:16 , Alex Young13min: Saka goes for the Panenka penalty, and Courtois makes an easy save!
Why did he do that?!
PENALTY TO ARSENAL!
20:14 , Alex Young11min: VAR check for a foul on Asenio on Merino, and the referee gives it!
8min: Brilliant from Saka, who cuts inside and tries to bend a shot around Courtois but the keeper gets a big hand.
Alaba has been booked, so Saka is licking his lips.
Simon Collings at the Santiago Bernabeu
20:09 , Alex YoungA start which is probably what Madrid are after. Arsenal just need to try and settle down by getting on the ball.
5min: It’s a breathless start, Arsenal are also no messing around.
NO GOAL!
20:07 , Alex Young3min: Mbappe has the ball in the back of the net, chesting home Vinicius Jr’s cross-cum-shot, but he’s clearly offside.
Not even a celebration but, my word, a warning from Madrid.
2min: Madrid’s eagerness clear straight away, rushing forwards to put Arsenal under pressure.
Merino trips up Bellingham almost immediately.
Kick-off!
20:02 , Alex Young1min: Here we go!
You wonder what an early Arsenal goal would do to his Bernabeu atmosphere. Staggering sound.
Simon Collings at the Santiago Bernabeu
19:56 , Alex YoungAmazing atmosphere, not least when you consider the team at home is 3-0 down. Only at the Bernabeu could you get this.
Here come the players. Arsenal the team facing the pressure tonight, Madrid have nothing to lose.
Simon Collings at the Santiago Bernabeu
19:50 , Alex YoungThe Arsenal team is being read out by the PA announcer, but you cannot hear a word of it, just relentless whistling.
Mikel Arteta to TNT Sports
19:43 , Alex Young"Very focused and very determined. We know the challenge and the opportunity ahead. Go and embrace it!
"It is always very important to start with a positive vibe and a good feeling. We will try to do that, but it's going to be a long game so it's not only about the start.
"At this level every action matters. Every action changes momentum."
Simon Collings at the Santiago Bernabeu
19:31 , Alex YoungA huge contrast in the reception for the two teams as they come out to warm up. Arsenal treated to plenty of whistles and jeers, while the Madrid players are greeted by a wall of cheers and waving scarves.
Arsenal players have come out to warm up, prompting roars from the away support.
Simon Collings at the Santiago Bernabeu
19:15 , Alex YoungThe last time Arsenal lost a game by a four-goal margin: Boris Johnson was still Prime Minister, Adele was No1 in the UK with Easy On Me and Ethan Nwaneri was 14 years old.
Simon is not kidding.
Simon Collings checks in
19:03 , Alex YoungSome pre-match thoughts.
💪 "This is a night for Arsenal to show how far they have come under Arteta."
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) April 16, 2025
Our man in Madrid, @sr_collings, with his pre-match thoughts from inside a "magnificent" Santiago Bernabeu.
LIVE: https://t.co/xJuassSczY#RMAARS | #UCL pic.twitter.com/C3WOb0PPmk
Myles Lewis-Skelly becomes the third 18-year-old in Champions League history to start a knockout game away at Real Madrid.
Cesc Fabregas, in that Arsenal win in 2006, and Max Meyer, for Schalke in 2014, the other two.
Arsenal are unchanged from last week’s first-leg win, which is of little surprise.
Partey has shaken off a knock to start, while Sterling is back on the bench after missing the first leg through suspension.
Confirmed team news in full
18:49 , Alex YoungArsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Merino
Subs: Neto, Setford, Tierney, White, Zinchenko, Rosiak, Henry-Francis, Trossard, Butler-Oyedeji, Gower, Sterling, Nwaneri
Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Alaba; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe, Rodrygo
Subs: Fran Gonzalez, Sergio Mestre, Modric, Ardu Guler, Endrick, Vallejo, Ceballos, Fran Garcia, Brahim
Arsenal XI
18:46 , Alex YoungHere it is!
⚫️ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🔴
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 16, 2025
🧱 Kiwior partners Saliba
⚡️Saka on the wing
🪄 Merino up top
Let's give it everything we've got, Gunners ✊
Arsenal line-up is imminent.
The Arsenal squad have arrived.
Real Madrid team news
18:30 , Alex YoungNo huge surprises from that Madrid line-up then.
Most notably is that Federico Valverde is pushed into midfield as Lucas Vazquez goes in a right-back. Ancelotti has gone to his playbook for this before.
Aurelien Tchouameni is back after missing the trip to north London through a ban, Luka Modric drops to the bench.
Madrid will rely on Bernabeu 'magic', says Ancelotti
18:21 , Alex YoungReal Madrid will attempt to put on yet another special night at the Santiago Bernabeu, manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday.
The Spanish heavyweights have overturned deficits against Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Wolfsburg in recent years - with all three of those comebacks being staged in the iconic Bernabeu stadium.
"The Bernabeu has magic, everyone knows it's a special atmosphere. Tomorrow we need a bit of everything, quality and a complete game in terms of physicality and collective attitude. Not one of these things can go wrong," Ancelotti told reporters.
"Madrid have the resources to turn this tie around. We have the quality, the commitment, the experience, the fans. The resources are there and now it's time to make the best of it...
"(Games at the Bernabeu) are very important because the boost from the fans has helped us a lot. Tomorrow it will be the same, we need to play at our maximum level to try to change the tie. It's very complicated at the moment, but tomorrow we'll try to change that."
Arteta reveals how fearless Arsenal will approach tonight
18:10 , Alex YoungMikel Arteta says his Arsenal players do not fear the prospect of a Real Madrid comeback and will do their talking on the pitch.
The Spanish side have a famous history of pulling off comebacks, but asked if he has seen any fear in his players this week about that possibility, Arteta said: “I wouldn’t use that word.
“I think respect, admiration for what they’ve done in the competition as a club over the years, the history they have, the values that they defend. Unbelievable. Amazing.
“And inspiration for any coach, any manager, any team. But after that is the competition. It’s what we are going to face tomorrow, an opposition that we know very well and that we are determined to go out there and try to win the game.”
Arteta is aware of all the statistics - and Arsenal’s impressive defensive record - but he wants them to do their talking on the pitch.
“We have to prove it now in this context,” he said. “And that’s the beauty of it. That’s the challenge and that’s the great thing about sports.
“That we’ve shown that we are capable of doing it, that has to give us reassurance and confidence that we can do it. And now, let’s talk on the pitch and do it on the pitch. It’s the only thing that matters.”
Real Madrid XI
18:07 , Alex YoungAnother early team news drop!
📋✅ Our starting XI!
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 16, 2025
🆚 @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/TD5jcRhpvQ
Three reasons Arsenal should not fear another Real Madrid ‘remontada’
18:00 , Alex YoungReal Madrid are bullish in their belief they can pull off another historic Champions League comeback in the second leg of their quarter-final with Arsenal.
The Gunners are leading 3-0 from the first leg at Emirates Stadium but Real Madrid are confident they can defy the odds and deny Arsenal a first semi-final appearance since 2009.
“Comeback has been the most repeated word in the dressing room. I’ve heard it a million times,” said Jude Bellingham. “It’s a night made for Real Madrid.”
But here, Standard Sport looks at three reasons why Arsenal should be confident they can stop another Real Madrid another ‘remontada’…
Simon Collings checks in
17:48 , Alex YoungOur man in Madrid.
Real Madrid v Arsenal pic.twitter.com/44QmNZMZO3
— Simon Collings (@sr_collings) April 16, 2025
Latest match odds
17:41 , Alex YoungReal Madrid are clear favourites to win on the night, but how about the tie?
To win tonight
Real Madrid: 5/6
Draw: 3/1
Arsenal: 14/5
To reach semi-finals
Real Madrid: 13/2
Arsenal: 1/16
(Odds via Betway, subject to change.)
Real Madrid vs Arsenal prediction
17:33 , Alex YoungIf there is any team capable of overturning a three-goal deficit in the Champions League, it’s the 15-time winners of the competition. In recent seasons, Real Madrid have staged some memorable comebacks inside the Santiago Bernabeu, so Arsenal having been warned.
With that said, the Gunners are strong defensively and it seems unlikely they will concede four goals on the night. Furthermore, they showed enough in the first leg to suggest they can breach this uncertain Los Blancos defence to score at least one to take them through.
1-1 draw
Predicted XIs
17:25 , Alex YoungReal Madrid XI: Courtois, Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Garcia, Valverde, Tchouameni, Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Mbappe
Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli
Early Real Madrid team news
17:20 , Alex YoungKylian Mbappe is available for selection, despite being handed a domestic ban, for tonight's huge clash, and will once again start alongside Vinicius Jr in attack for Madrid, with the latter having played only half an hour off the bench against Alaves in preparation for Arsenal.
It was a similar case for Jude Bellingham, who will also return to Ancelotti’s starting lineup at the Santiago Bernabeu. He and Rodrygo should complete the attack.
Thibaut Courtois will start in goal as usual for Madrid, with Antonio Rudiger partnered by Raul Asencio at centre-back.
David Alaba or Fran Garcia is the choice for Ancelotti at left-back with Ferland Mendy still injured, while it remains to be seen if he will operate with Federico Valverde at right-back or push him into midfield and bring in Lucas Vazquez, who started at the weekend, with Dani Carvajal a long-term absentee.
There were reports in the Spanish press on Tuesday that the manager was leaning towards a midfield berth for the versatile Valverde, where he will not be partnered by weekend match-winner Eduardo Camavinga, who is suspended after being sent off late in the first leg against Arsenal.
Aurelien Tchouameni is back after missing the trip to north London through his own ban, while new Swansea minority owner Luka Modric did not play a minute off the bench against Alaves. Former Arsenal loanee Dani Ceballos is another option in the middle.
Eder Militao is still out for Madrid along with Courtois’ deputy Andriy Lunin, with young goalkeepers Fran Gonzalez and Sergio Mestre both likely to be on the bench once more.
Vazquez, Modric, Rudiger, Vinicus Jr and Endrick are all one yellow card away from serving a one-match suspension in the Champions League.
Early Arsenal team news
17:12 , Alex YoungArsenal have been boosted by Thomas Partey and Ben White being declared fit.
Partey was a doubt after going off 20 minutes before the end of Arsenal’s draw with Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday, but trained on Tuesday morning and is part of the squad to face Real Madrid tonight.
Partey is expected to start at the base of midfield, with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard alongside him. Mikel Merino should lead the line at the Bernabeu after being named on the bench for the draw with Brentford.
The Spaniard should be flanked on the wings by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, although Leandro Trossard could possibly start in place of the latter.
At the back, Jakub Kiwior is expected to keep his place alongside William Saliba after excelling in the absence of the injured Gabriel.
Myles Lewis-Skelly and Jurrien Timber should be the full-backs, even though Arsenal have been boosted by the fact that White is available. The right-back missed the draw with Brentford after picking up a knock in training, but trained on Tuesday morning.
How to watch Real Madrid vs Arsenal
17:05 , Alex YoungTV channel: In the UK, tonight’s match is being shown live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage beginning at 7pm BST ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also watch the game live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Welcome
16:59 , Alex YoungGood evening and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Arsenal.
It is do or die for Madrid tonight after a stunning first-leg win from the Gunners last week. In any normal circumstances, it would be tie over. But this is Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Anything can happen.
Kick-off is at 8pm. Stick with us.
