Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has said that the Gunners need to “show unity, character and personality” if they are to beat Real Madrid. 

The Gunners face arguably their most important game of the season this week as they welcome Real Madrid to the Emirates for the Champions League quarter-final.

With their gap to Liverpool at 11 points in the Premier League after a 1-1 draw with Everton, the Champions League is Arsenal’s best chance at winning silverware this season under Mikel Arteta.

The winner of the Arsenal vs Real Madrid clash will face off against either Aston Villa or Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals. The Gunners will need to ensure they get off to a good start in the first leg on Tuesday night.

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has said how the Gunners will be able to get the better of the reigning champions. He told pokerfirma.com: “I’ve seen so many games over the last few years when Madrid were dominated by opponents. Matches where the opponent were having so many chances to score, and they didn’t take it.

“Real are very clinical all the time, so for me these are the two main things: play strong defensively, show unity, character and personality. But in the meantime, up front, when one opportunity to score comes up, you have to take it.

“They need to defend well as a unit against Madrid. The likes of Vinicius, Bellingham and Mbappe are players that can hurt you at any time. They have so many top players that can make the difference and they’ve done it in the past in the Champions League.

“These are the kinds of players they have to come up against. If they can play as a unit and they can show great character defensively, then they will have a chance.”

Real Madrid face injury concerns ahead of the Arsenal game

The Spanish side could be missing several top names this week against the Gunners. Former Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos is a doubt for the game as he is dealing with a knee issue, but he is expected to play in some form on Tuesday.

Ferland Mendy is a doubt for the game as he is recovering from a hamstring issue. If left-back Mendy misses the game, Carlo Ancelotti will have to play backup full-back Fran Garcia who would match up with Bukayo Saka.

Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao are both out for the game too as they have already been ruled out of the season with ACL injuries.

Click here to see Real Madrid’s injury news ahead of the game on Tuesday night.