Arsenal made easy work of their first Champions League knockout match but tougher tests are still to come in the quarter-finals.
Winning UEFA‘s premier competition looks to be the Gunners’ best chance of a trophy this season.
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Arsenal have dropped some crucial points in the Premier League this yearCredit: Getty
Liverpool are running away with things at the top of the Premier League, while Arsenal are out of both domestic cups.
That leaves success in Europe as Mikel Arteta‘s last real opportunity to win the club’s first trophy since 2020.
The Gunners hold the English record for most successive appearances in UEFA’s top competition but have infamously never won it.
Arsenal finally ended their last-16 curse last year after a penalty shootout win over Porto before crashing out at the quarter-final stage.
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This term, they showed a ruthless streak with a 7-1 thrashing away at PSV Eindhoven to put nearly two feet in the quarter-final.
Arsenal certainly ended up on the tougher side of the draw, alongside multiple Champions League winners, including Real Madrid.
And Los Blancos are one of the teams the Gunners might face in the last eight.
The other would also prove to be a significant test because it is Real’s inner-city rivals, Atletico.
The two Spanish giants have been drawn against each other in a mouth-watering round of 16 tie, with Real edging the first leg at home 2-1.
The Gunners have played Real only twice across their vast history.
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The Gunners crashed out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals last yearCredit: Getty
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Arsenal will look to go one better this term after a dream performance at the Phillips Stadion saw them put one foot in the last eightCredit: Getty
The pair met in the Champions League during the 2005/06 campaign in the round of 16.
The first leg was at the Bernabeu, and the north London giants won 1-0 thanks to a Thierry Henry goal.
This was a Real Madrid side that included Iker Casillas, Roberto Carlos, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo up front.
So, it was a prime Galacticos XI, but despite having Mathieu Flamini at left-back and Philippe Senderos at the heart of the defence, Arsene Wenger’s side held on.
They then kept another clean sheet in the return leg, drawing 0-0 with Real Madrid to seal their place in the next round, knocking Los Blancos out.
Arsenal went all the way to the final only to be beaten by Barcelona that year.
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Los Blancos are the most successful team across the Champions League, winning it 15 timesCredit: TNT Sports
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Henry’s goal was an iconic moment
Meanwhile, the Gunners have also only faced Atletico Madrid twice, but that was more recently.
In 2018, the pair met in the Europa League semi-finals as Wenger looked to sign off with one more bit of silverware before leaving.
The first leg at the Emirates ended 1-1, leaving everything to play for in Spain, but it was Diego Simeone‘s team that emerged victorious.
Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa scored on the cusp of halftime to put the LaLiga side into the lead, and they held on to take a 2-1 aggregate win.
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This Champions Leaague last 16 second leg will take place on Wednesday, March 12.
Kick-off at the Emirates is scheduled for 8pm.
talkSPORT will have updates of all the action this evening.
Follow the goals as they go in during our coverage of Aston Villa vs Club Brugge presented by Adrian Durham.
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