The key reasons why Arsenal CAN win the Champions League after Real Madrid demolition
Gunners have nothing left to fear as they target European glory
Eyes on the prize: Bukayo Saka, Mikel Arteta and Declan Rice want to go all the way in the Champions League
The vacuum between the two legs of Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid is just another part of the challenge for Mikel Arteta’s players.
The noise about the probability of a Real comeback has begun and will only grow in volume in the build-up to Wednesday’s decider in Spain, focused on the holders’ ‘aura’ in the competition, their ‘DNA’, their invincibility, their previous improbable European escapes, as well as Arsenal’s own inexperience at this level.
There will be suggestions that Arsenal’s soft-centre could return if Real score early, that Jakub Kiwior will not be so well-shielded from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr at the Bernabeu, that Real have not lost at this stage of the competition for 21 years and are not about to start now.
This discourse is an intrinsic part of Real’s success; they have made comebacks part of the very fabric of the club and will have rich seams of inspiration to draw from, especially their remarkable run to the trophy in 2021-22, when they came back against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Man City in the knockouts.
Declan Rice scored two sensational free-kicks as Arsenal beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final on Tuesday
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
There is every reason to think, though, that Arteta’s side can meet the psychological challenge after their magnificent 3-0 win over the holders, in which Arsenal effectively broke Real’s spell – thanks to some sorcery of their own in Declan Rice’s two remarkable free-kicks.
The obvious temptation from here is to look ahead at Arsenal’s chances of winning the competition – more on that below – but it is important to consider the significance of finishing the job against Real next week.
Only four clubs have managed to eliminate the 15-time winners from the Champions League in the past 11 seasons (City twice, Chelsea and Ajax) and for Arsenal to join that group would represent another enormous step forward under Arteta.
