Arguably the biggest game of Arsenal's season takes place on Tuesday evening as reigning Champions League holders Real Madrid pitch up at the Emirates Stadium for the first leg of their quarter-final.
It's a mouth-watering prospect for anyone connected with either club, and given the way that both managers like their football to be played, the two legs could really be matches for the purist.
Mikel Arteta called on Gunners supporters to "raise the roof" in his pre-match press conference. “I hope, I encourage them (Arsenal fans) to come very early to the warm-up and create (one of) those nights…we haven’t lived many of those at the Emirates, so that’s an opportunity again. When we build history, we have to build moments, and a moment is being built with our people. We have to create that energy, that belief, that enthusiasm.”
Losing Gabriel to a season-ending injury couldn't have come at a worse time for the Gunners, given that the Brazilian powerhouse had been one the Arsenal's most consistent performers throughout the 2024/25 campaign.
Of the outfield players, only defensive partner, William Saliba, started as many games (40) this season, and his 3,500 minutes played is second only to the Frenchman too (keeper David Raya tops the charts in both metrics).
A stunning pass accuracy of 90.5% is also only bettered by Saliba, whilst a 64.3% pass completion stat, 128 clearances, 101 ball recoveries and 23 interceptions evidence a defensive excellence.
The centre-back has proven to be an incredible asset at set pieces too, and his five goals in the campaign is just two behind the likes of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.
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