Real bank on Bernabeu magic against Arsenal, says Ancelotti

Bengaluru — Real Madrid will attempt to put on yet another special night at the Santiago Bernabeu and overturn a sizeable deficit in their Champions League quarterfinal tie with Arsenal, manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice scored two fantastic free kicks as the Premier League club secured a 3-0 victory over holders Real in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium last week to put one foot in the semifinals.

However, Real, record 15-time European champions, have won six Champions League titles since 2009 and have made a habit of completing unlikely recoveries in the knockout stages of the competitions.

The Spanish heavyweights have overturned deficits against Paris St Germain, Manchester City and VfL Wolfsburg in recent years — with all three of those comebacks being staged in the iconic Bernabeu stadium.

‘Special atmosphere’

“The Bernabeu has magic, everyone knows it’s a special atmosphere. Tomorrow we need a bit of everything: quality and a complete game in terms of physicality and collective attitude. Not one of these things can go wrong,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“Madrid have the resources to turn this tie around. We have the quality, the commitment, the experience, the fans. The resources are there and now it’s time to make the best of it….

“[Games at the Bernabeu] are very important because the boost from the fans has helped us a lot. Tomorrow it will be the same. We need to play at our maximum level to try to change the tie. It’s very complicated at the moment, but tomorrow we’ll try to change that.”

Real have failed to claim a Champions League win in their three meetings with English side Arsenal, who are aiming for their first semifinal appearance since 2009.

“They are a very well-organised team,” Ancelotti said.

“They are not the most experienced, but they have a very clear idea defensively and offensively. They are very focused on what they have to do. And they are more focused on that than on the atmosphere.”

Real midfielder Jude Bellingham said the Spanish side were fired up for the challenge.

“I’ve heard it a million times since last week, I’ve seen a million videos — it’s really motivating stuff,” the England international told reporters.

“It’s a night that’s made for Real Madrid. A night that would go down in history but also something that people are familiar with around this part of the world. Hopefully we can add another special night.”

Reuters