Champions League: Arsenal to End 16-Year Drought, Inter Milan Eyes Final Glory
by Joseph King
Real Madrid vs Arsenal
Arsenal fans were treated to a magical night at the Emirates in the first leg, while Real Madrid fans will want to forget that performance as soon as possible.
Two stunning Declan Rice free kicks fired the Gunners to a sensational 3-0 win in North London and has them with one foot in the semi-final. Should Arsenal close the deal in the Spanish capital, it would mark the first time that they have made the last four of the Champions League since the 2008/09 team that lost out to Manchester United. Head over to our Real Madrid vs Arsenal prediction to see what our experts think!
Arsenal rearguard key
Arsenal players, such as William Saliba, have expressed excitement at the prospect of playing in the Bernabeu. The sentiment around the club is that the team will not simply sit back and try to endure the 90 minutes, instead, they want to take the game to the reigning champions.
While that may be true, Arsenal will need a solid defensive performance once again if they are to contain the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and the rest of the Madrid stars. Gabriel Magalhaes is, of course, a huge miss at the back, but Jakub Kiwior deputised commendably in the first leg and fans should have confidence that he’ll have another good performance in Spain.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been one of the most defensively sound teams in Europe. Take a look at their defensive record in their main two competitions below:
| Category (rank in competition) | Premier League | Champions League |
|---|---|---|
| Goals allowed | 27 (1st) | 6 (2nd) |
| Goals allowed per match | 0.8 (1st) | 0.55 (2nd) |
| Clean sheets | 11 (3rd) | 6 (2nd) |
| Expected goals allowed | 27.3 (1st) | 9.3 (1st) |
Match information
- Time: 16 April, 20:00 BST
- Venue: Estadio Bernabeu
- Referee: Francois Letexier (France)
- Live commentary: Real Madrid vs Arsenal Livescore
Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich
It’s turning out to be a great year for Inter so far. They are on the verge of reclaiming the Scudetto in the Serie A, they are in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia and they are favorites to advance to the final four of the Champions League. Fans will be clamoring over the possibility of a historic treble. After all, Inter is the only Italian team to have completed the feat, in the 2010 season under the management of Jose Mourinho, where they beat opponents Bayern Munich in the final.
Indeed, Inter Milan appeared to conjure up the spirits of the historic 2010 team when they took on the Bavarian giants in Munich at the Allianz Arena in the first leg. A 2-1 win, thanks to a Davide Frattesi goal in the 88th minute, has set up the Nerazzurri extremely well heading back to Milan for the return leg.
Inter dominant at home
Many of the top online betting sites have Inter as significant favorites to advance to the semis, in large part down to their dominant performances this season at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Let’s check out some of the highlights of Inter’s home record this season compared with Bayern’s away record:
Inter at home:
- Nine straight victories across all competitions
- Unbeaten in their last 21, winning 19
- Have only lost once this season across all competitions
- Are a perfect 5-0-0 in the 2024/25 Champions League, scoring 11 and concededing only one
Bayern away from home:
- Have lost three of six in the Champions League, scoring 10 and conceding 10
- 12-4-4 away record in the Bundesliga and Champions League combined this season
- Unbeaten in their last seven, winning five
As we can see, Bayern have their work cut out for them if they are to overturn their one-goal deficit at a venue where their opponents have rarely put a foot wrong. Still, with the amount of firepower they possess with the likes of Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Leroy Sane, they can’t be completely counted out. Should Inter successfully navigate the return leg, it would mark a second trip to the Champions League semi-finals in the last three years. Our experts are predicting a back-and-forth match; see the full break down in our Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich prediction!
Match information
- Time: 16 April, 20:00 BST
- Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
- Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
- Live commentary: Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich Livescore
