NEW RIVALS – Arsenal’s must-win match against Real Madrid’s ‘galacticas’

Tonight Arsenal welcome Real Madrid to the cauldron of Meadow Park – but who will turn up the heat and who will boil over, wonders Izzy Gilligan.

This is a re-match of the dramatic quarter-finals of last March, which saw the Gunners dubbed ‘the comeback queens’ after a two-legged thriller.

Arsenal went away to Madrid first, scheduled to play at the club’s hallowed training ground. State of the art facilities, pitches and an exciting place for any player to visit. However, the scenes that unfolded were far from glamorous.

Madrid, known for its sunny climate, had the more British weather of torrential rain (Ed: see our upcoming feature on climate change). And the pitch? Not prepared.

This meant, that the women’s Champions League quarter-final was played on what can only be described as a mud bath. And that’s not an exaggeration.

Arsenal lost 2-0 on the slip and slide turf after goals from Linda Caicedo and Athenea del Castillo (below, left). All eyes turned to the Emirates second leg, and all discussion to the state of pitches in the women’s game.

Less than ten days later and Las Blancas landed in London. Emirates Stadium was the stage for this huge clash, and there was a feeling in the air and in the stands that a big night was going to unfold.

And a big night indeed unfolded. The start of the second half saw Alessia Russo pull one back for the Gunners, before Mariona Caldentey joined in, and Russo got the third.

The final aggregate score might have been Arsenal 3-2 Real Madrid, but a new relationship between these two clubs was formed, a competitive rivalry and a sense that anything could happen.

Real Outlook

The two sides face off this evening at Meadow Park. A battle of the fourth-in-their-domestic-leagues if you like.

Las Blancas come into the match in better UWCL form, currently unbeaten in the competition and sitting in fifth.

First, they beat Roma by a dominant 6-2 scoreline, then pipped PSG to a 2-1 victory. Their recent outing ended all square, 1-1 against Paris FC after Caroline Weir scored a late equaliser.

In Liga F, they sit fourth, just a point behind Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, and seven points behind long-time rivals, Barcelona.

The Blaugrana crushed Real Madrid’s winning streak in the league, winning 4-0 in the women’s Clasico last weekend. Although the scoreline doesn’t give Real Madrid credit for the performance they put in.

Las Blancas have a new manager this season in Pau Quesada. The Spanish 33-year-old has been part of the club’s academy coaching set up in the past and joined the women’s side in July after a season assistant coaching with Torino in Serie A.

The Spaniards’ playing style will have adjusted under Quesada, and he isn’t shying away ahead of this fixture.

He said: “We’re coming to the home of the European champions but we’re coming without any fear. We want to be ourselves, set the pace of the game, and bring the intensity we’re used to.

“They’re tough opposition but we’ll have to neutralise their strengths with the weapons we have. They’re a hugely dynamic team.

“Against Lyon and Bayern, they put in two good performances, the results don’t reflect those games. They do a lot with the ball, press very high and they’re a complete unit.”

Interestingly, Real Madrid have never won in England in the Champions League, losing three times to Chelsea and once in the tie with Arsenal.

Madrid’s Key Fighters

This Real Madrid squad has some key players that when firing offer real threats across the pitch.

Midfielder Caroline Weir (above, left) is a known entity for the Gunners (she literally played there for two years between 2013-2015) but has also spent years bouncing around other WSL clubs including Liverpool, Bristol and Manchester City.

The Scotland international is one of the most technically gifted players around. She is the club’s all-time top goal scorer in the UWCL, but all her goals have come on home turf.

She plays with tenacity, precision and a lot of skill and Arsenal will want to keep her quiet this evening.

Linda Caicedo is another one of Madrid’s superstars. The Columbian forward, only 20-years-old was wanted by Chelsea and Barcelona but ultimately joined Las Blancas in 2023.

Caicedo won the Tuttosport Golden Girl award in 2023, which awards the best female U21 footballer playing in Europe. (Most recently won by Michelle Agyemang).

She scored in the club’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal last season and is a total pocket rocket up front.

Arsenal’s State of Affairs

The Gunners come into this fixture needing a win. Both for their egos but also for the competition.

Currently sitting in eleventh in the League Phase standings, Arsenal need some points on the board to bump themselves up the rankings.

Match day one saw them lose narrowly to Lyon 2-1, they then beat Benfica away followed by a disappointing 3-2 defeat away to Bayern Munich last week.

The WSL has not been smooth sailing either, two draws in a row, one to champions Chelsea (although a great Arsenal performance and some dodgy refereeing decisions) and then a goalless North London derby.

Manager Renée Slegers (above) predicted that Real Madrid’s style may have changed since last season.

She said: “Their game might be a little bit more open this year so that’s something we must prepare for and something we want to organise in a good way.”

The Arsenal boss spoke about her squad’s identity:

She said: “I think part of our identity is that we are unpredictable, so we want to have different threats, whether it’s being able to build long attacks, being direct or being able to play out of pressure.

“I don’t think you can do just one thing and try to do that well. I think you have to manage a lot of things in the game and bring variety to what you do.”

Arsenal have a couple of key players missing. Leah Williamson (below, right) has been out since the summer after a post-Euros clean-up knee surgery. She is back in training but not ready to be in a matchday squad yet.

Captain Kim Little is also sidelined, which has left a gaping hole in the midfield. Kyra Cooney-Cross and Victoria Pelova have taken it in turns to fill in, but Arsenal haven’t found their rhythm in the centre yet.

However, this game is at Meadow Park, a fortress for Arsenal, and playing in front of the North Bank is not for the weak.

Arsenal’s home crowd played every ball with the squad the last time these two sides met, and it will be the same again this evening.

Don’t forget, these are the Champions of Europe we’re talking about, if anything is going to shake up their form, it’s a run out in this competition.

Prediction

Arsenal need to bounce back, and they often do when the stakes are high. I think Real Madrid will score though. My prediction is a 3-1 home win.

The Match

The match kicks off at 8pm, with tickets still available to head down to Meadow Park. If you can’t get there, it can be watched on Disney+ if you’re in the UK.

Photos: UEFA/Getty, and Helen M Jerome