Arsenal are pinning their hopes on UEFA Champions League glory to redeem a faltering 2024-25 season, as they carry a commanding 3-0 lead into the quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid on April 16, 2025, at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Gunners, who stunned the holders with a Declan Rice brace and a Mikel Merino strike in the first leg on April 8, see the competition as their last shot at silverware after crashing out of the FA Cup in January and trailing Manchester City by nine points in the Premier League, with only eight games left, per Sky Sports data.
Manager Mikel Arteta, speaking on April 14, called the tie “a chance to write history,” noting Arsenal’s 208 Champions League matches without a title—the longest such streak, per Opta. The Emirates victory, where Jakub Kiwior and William Saliba neutralized Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr., showcased a resilient defense despite Gabriel Magalhaes’ season-ending hamstring injury.
Arsenal’s 35% possession yielded a clinical edge, with Rice’s free kicks marking his first direct set-piece goals in 330 career games. Arteta warned, however, that Madrid’s comeback pedigree—evidenced by their 2022 semi-final rally against Manchester City—demands caution. A semi-final berth would boost Arsenal’s 65% chance of reaching the final, per UEFA models, offering redemption for a fanbase craving a first European crown since 1994’s Cup Winners’ Cup