Team news: Saka starts
Bukayo Saka starts for the first time in 2025. That’s the big news, in part because both teams are largely as expected. Jakub Kiwior, who played at well at Everton on Saturday, is Mikel Arteta’s preferred replacement for the injured Gabriel Magalhaes. Mikel Merino will start up front.
Real Madrid have a couple of changes from the second leg of their win over Atletico in the last 16. David Alaba replaces the injured Ferland Mendy at left-back; Eduardo Camavinga comes in for the suspended Aurelien Tchouameni.
Arsenal (4-3-3ish) Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli.
Substitutes: Neto, Setford, Tierney, White, Zinchenko, Trossard, Jorginho, Butler-Oyedeji, Gower, Nwaneri.
Real Madrid (4-3-3ish) Courtois; Valverde, Asensio, Rudiger, Alaba; Modric, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.
Substitutes: Fran Gonzalez, Sergio Mestre, Arda Guler, Endrick, Lucas Vazquez, Vallejo, Fran Garcia, Brahim, Gonzalo, Jacobo, Chema, Lorenzo.
Referee Irfan Peljto (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Key events
Thibaut Courtois on Arsenal’s set-piece threat
We’ve worked on it. We know how we have to try to defend against them. The first thing is not to concede too many corners. It’s a matter of concentration, activation – sometimes the quality of the opponent plays a factor too. If the ball arrives perfectly, it’s difficult to defend. But we are ready to do it, we believe that what we have prepared will work out well for us.
