Former Arsenal midfielder Julio Baptista has said that Arsenal need to deal with the hostile atmosphere at the Bernabeu in their Champions League clash.
The Gunners go into the second leg on Wednesday night with a 3-0 lead after their historic first leg performance at the Emirates, when Declan Rice scored two free-kicks.
Mikel Arteta’s side will hope to go through to the semi-finals of the competition, where they will play against Paris Saint-Germain, who beat Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.
But first, they need to head to the Bernabeu and ensure that they can keep hold of their lead, which will be a tough task against a highly-powered Real Madrid attack.
Baptista warns Arsenal players about “hot” Real Madrid crowd
Former Arsenal midfielder Julio Baptista played for both the Gunners and Real Madrid, and he has said that the Gunners need to deal with the hostile atmosphere at the Bernabeu.
He told FootItalia: “The crowd is gonna be hot! It’s a different ambience in the Champions League compared to La Liga. It’s so different. The fans for the Champions League, they are different. They feel the game more, they sing more and, of course, they support more.
“It will be difficult for them, but they will have the right words from Mikel Arteta and I think that they can manage the situation they find themselves in. I think that the most important thing for them is: don’t lose control.”
He says that if Arsenal win, they will fully believe that they can go on to win the Champions League, and their first piece of silverware under Arteta since the 2020 FA Cup in his first season.
“If Arsenal can beat Real Madrid, then they will have the confidence to win the competition because they would have eliminated the kings of Europe.” He said, “They’ve already beaten PSG in the Champions League this season, but they have improved a lot since the sides met.
“If you’re Arsenal and you beat Real Madrid, you have to believe that you can win the tournament.”
