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Liverpool had a quiet first summer under new manager Arne Slot, signing just two new players.

The first, goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, remains with Valencia and won’t move to Anfield until next summer, while the second, Federico Chiesa, has barely featured for the Reds.

The Italian winger, whom Liverpool paid Juventus £12.5 million for, has played just 78 minutes of football this season, having been sidelined for most of the campaign with fitness and injury problems.

European club want emotional reunion with "potent" £150k-p/w Liverpool ace

He’s yet to make an impact for the Reds.

By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 18, 2024

Come January, however, Slot may be a little busier in the transfer market. Liverpool have already been linked with a number of big, and small, names, including Fulham’s American full-back Antonee Robinson, Sporting Lisbon starlet Geovany Quenda, and Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk. One deal, in fact, is reported to have already been agreed.

Liverpool reportedly agree £21m Loic Bade deal

According to a report from Spain, Liverpool have allegedly agreed a €25m (£21m) fee with Sevilla to sign defender Loic Bade. The Spanish publication claims that Bade had been a target for the Reds since last summer, and he will now join them after the New Year, assuming ‘”nothing goes wrong” between now and January.

Aston Villa were also understood to be interested in the Frenchman, who has been impressing in Spain. Since joining Sevilla last year, Bade has made 67 appearances for the club, helping them lift the Europa League in 2022/23 – a tournament in which he notably scored against Manchester United in the quarter-finals.

Over the past year, the 24-year-old, who has been previously likened to former Liverpool star Joel Matip and described as “complete” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, ranks in the 98th percentile for tackles and take-ons when compared to players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues.

Who is Loic Bade?

Bade began his professional career in his home country with Le Havre. After just a handful of appearances for his boyhood club, he was then sold to Lens, before, just a year later, he was shipped on to Rennes.

In September 2022, he then joined Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest on a year-long loan. Bade left the club just six months later, however, without having made a single appearance.

At Sevilla, whom he initially joined on loan before making the deal permanent in the summer of 2023, he has found a home and established himself as one of La Liga’s top young defenders.

As a result of his displays for Sevilla, he was called up to the France national team for the first time last month in place of injured Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana.

Speaking about his time at Forest in an interview with Le Parisien last year, Bade said: “I gave everything in training. But these are the coach’s choices. I thought I’d get my chance, but I didn’t.”

“It was a blessing in disguise is what I tell myself,” he added. “If I hadn’t had this difficult period, I wouldn’t have refound myself at Sevilla.”

Manchester United have been handed a massive boost as it has emerged that one of Europe’s elite is ready to turn down Barcelona in order to join Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford in the upcoming transfer windows.

Amorim takes charge at Manchester United

Amorim’s first game in charge of Manchester United took just 81 seconds to ignite as Marcus Rashford put his side ahead against Premier League new-boys Ipswich Town.

However, it was all downhill from there as Omari Hutchinson grabbed a deserved equaliser for the hosts on the stroke of half time before a low-key second half saw Ipswich edge the better chances and left Manchester United forced to settle for a point in East Anglia.

Their own Palmer: Man Utd want to sign sensational £43m Premier League star

Ruben Amorim will undoubtedly be wanting to strengthen his Manchester United attacking options.

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By
Ethan Lamb

Nov 26, 2024

There were immediately clear issues for Amorim to solve, with Rashford chosen to start as a striker but offering little except the goal, while Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee were both introduced from the bench in the second half to little effect.

Elsewhere, Diogo Dalot looked uncomfortable in his new wing-back role, while Bruno Fernandes was also sidelined for much of the game on the right hand side of attack.

“I know it is frustrating for the fans but we are changing so much in this moment with a lot of games,” Amorim explained after the game. “We are going to suffer for a long period. We will try to win games but this will take time.”

While tactics are likely to improve the Red Devils, part of the changes at the club will come in the transfer market, and United have been handed a boost in that regard.

Man Utd favourite destination for in-demand star

That comes as it has been claimed that Viktor Gyokeres is ready to turn down interest from Barcelona to reunite with Amorim at Old Trafford next summer, should the Red Devils opt to move for him.

The Swedish striker is among the hottest properties in world football, having scored 33 goals already this season across all competitions and caught the eye of several clubs including Arsenal and Barcelona.

It was under Amorim that he really found his feet among Europe’s elite marksmen, and he is now keen to repay that faith by reuniting with his former boss at Old Trafford.

That is according to The Sun, who claim that “Gyokeres has his heart set on a move to the Premier League and a reunion with ex-boss Ruben Amorim at Manchester United”, meaning that he will turn down any Barcelona approaches.

Gyokeres could certainly arrive as the undisputed no.1 striker at Old Trafford, despite Amorim’s experiment with Rashford against Ipswich, and his ability to both hold the ball up and find the back of the net with astonishing regularity could help turn the Red Devils into genuine top four contenders and more.

He is thought to be available for just £63m next summer, despite having a €100m (£84m) release clause written into his Sporting contract, thanks to a gentleman’s agreement between the club and player.

A proven goalscorer who has thrived under Amorim and wants to move to Old Trafford, is this the most obvious transfer for the Red Devils?

England boss Thomas Tuchel claims his controversial selection of Jordan Henderson was "easy", with the ex-Liverpool captain a "serial winner".

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• German coach has named first squad
• Ajax star Henderson gets the nod
• Last cap for Three Lions came in 2023

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Experienced midfielder Henderson, who is now playing his club football for Dutch giants Ajax at 34 years of age, has not represented his country since winning the last of his 81 caps in 2023. He was left out of Gareth Southgate’s plans for Euro 2024.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Tuchel has, however, recalled the Premier League title winner when naming his first squad. Many have questioned why the German tactician has called upon Henderson while having so many younger options at his disposal, but the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager stands by his decision.

• WHAT THOMAS TUCHEL SAID

  Tuchel has said of Henderson, who has "every chance" of gracing the 2026 World Cup: "Jordan is an easy one, he is a serial winner. He is captain of Ajax. He is available and has played a lot of matches. What he brings to every team is leadership, character, personality, energy.

  "He makes sure that everyone lives by standards and with this characteristic he embodies everything that we try to build. We try to build a team for our fans and a team that they are proud of and can identity with. Jordan embodies everything that we want from this team."

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Tuchel added on how he set about welcoming Henderson back into the England fold: "We had the phone call weeks ago to check in and see how he feels about the idea or whether it was too painful how it ended. It was a video call, so you can see reactions. He appreciated it. For me it was so nice to see his genuine reaction. You can see his pure joy and happiness at the decision. It was very, very, impressive."

Massimiliano Allegri made a late tactical change during AC Milan’s 2-2 draw with Sassuolo, substituting U.S. international Christian Pulisic in the 72nd minute. The Milan manager said the move was dictated by the flow of the match, stressing it had nothing to do with managing minutes ahead of the club’s next fixture. Pulisic has nine goal contributions in nine league matches this season.

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  Allegri prioritizes midfield stability

  Allegri explained that Pulisic had only recently returned to full training after recovering from a fever before the Sassuolo match. Despite the American international's solid performance through 72 minutes, the coach felt compelled to strengthen Milan's midfield presence as Sassuolo began exerting increased pressure on the Rossoneri's defensive structure. The substitution brought Samuele Ricci into the match to provide additional protection in the center of the park.

  “I would have done it anyway,” Allegri said, reported Football Italia. “Christian had joined us in Turin after a fever and then trained. He played well for 72 minutes, but at that moment, we needed one more midfielder. Loftus-Cheek held firm up front, but we had to defend better, especially for the second goal. We had to follow Laurienté, and it was too easy for them to score.”

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  Pulisic's performance earns praise

  Allegri highlighted Pulisic's involvement in Milan's attacking play, noting his role in the team's second goal and a late opportunity he created in the final stages. The coach's assessment reflected Pulisic's continued importance to Milan's attacking structure, even as tactical adjustments became necessary.

  “Today he played a good game, as in Turin,” Allegri said. “He was decisive for the second goal; he had a chance in the final minutes. He was very good. We know the team’s quality, we know we can’t win every game, and we must give consistency to the results. Today, we could have lost the match, but we took home a draw. Today it seems that we’ve thrown two points away, but in the end, it will prove to be useful.”

• Pragmatic perspective on dropped points

  The result leaves Milan vulnerable to being overtaken by Napoli and Inter Milan, who both have opportunities to climb the Serie A table. However, Allegri's confidence in his squad's ability to maintain consistency suggests he views the Sassuolo draw as a temporary setback rather than a fundamental problem. 

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  What lies ahead for AC Milan

  Following their 2-2 draw, Allegri and Milan will now turn their attention to Thursday's Supercoppa Italia semifinal against Napoli in Saudi Arabia. After that, the Rossoneri will face Verona at home on Dec. 27 in the Serie A and then go on the road to face Cagliari on Jan. 2.

Manchester City are currently on an unthinkable run of poor form. Pep Guardiola’s side have not won in their last six games, and their best result in that time was a 3-3 home draw against Feyenoord in the Champions League. They threw away a 3-0 lead in that game, conceding all three goals in the final 20 minutes.

The Cityzens did not win a single game in November, and face an incredibly tough trip to Anfield in the first game of December. It certainly seems like their current run could extend into the final month of the year.

There have been some incredibly disappointing individual performers in this winless run.

City’s worst performers in November

One of the players who has struggled the most over the past month is Josko Gvardiol. The defender has looked far from his best, making some clumsy mistakes which have not helped the Cityzens on this lean run they are on.

One of the Croatian’s worst games on this run came against Sporting in the 4-1 loss in the Champions League. As per Sofascore, he gave away a penalty and won just three from 11 duels as City were taken apart by a side coached by Ruben Amorim, who has since made the move to Manchester United.

Eling Haaland has also been a player who has struggled to perform at his best. Although the deadly Norwegian striker has incredibly high standards, he has scored just three goals in this run of six games without a win and was an unused substitute for one of those games. Two of those strikes came against Feyenoord, and the blame certainly cannot be put onto Haaland for the draw against the Dutch side.

Another of Guardiola’s most trusted players, Phil Foden, is also in poor form. It has been a disappointing campaign for the England international as it is, but he has just one goal involvement in the last six games.

He is someone who needs to get back to his very best in order to help City get back to winning ways.

Arguably City’s worst player in this run of form has been goalkeeper Ederson, however, who has seen his career at the Etihad Stadium spiral.

Why Pep's "best signing" must now be sold

The Brazil international was once considered Guardiola’s “best signing” as City manager. At least, that is what Dominic Farrell told the Manchester Evening News in October 2021. A little over three years on, however, and things are not so easy for the City number 31.

He has played 16 times this season, conceding 25 goals and keeping just three clean sheets. Shockingly, Ederson is just 15 goals away from equalling his worst season in terms of goals conceded for City, which is currently 40 in 2021/22, across all competitions.

This run of poor form for the Cityzens has seen the Brazilian let in 15 goals in five games, an average of three per game. Like Haaland, he was an unused substitute in one of the games on this winless streak.

The past week has been particularly poor for the former Benfica goalkeeper. He let in four goals against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, before conceding three against Feyenoord; there could certainly be a case to be made that he was at fault for all of the goals against the Dutch side.

Ederson must surely be feeling the pressure right now, and his place in the starting lineup is far from a guarantee. The £100k-per-week star could well be replaced by Stefan Ortega.

Last season, Guardiola described Ortega as “one of the best goalkeepers I’ve seen in my life”, following a superb one-on-one save against Spurs that essentially won City the Premier League.

After strong links to Saudi Arabia last summer, the Cityzens’ number 31 might well be a target again in January or the 2025 summer window. If this lean run of form continues, it does not seem out of the question that City sell him, given they have Ortega as a more than capable option.

A huge amount is resting on City’s trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday. The legendary Spanish manager may decide to drop the Brazilian in favour of Ortega or could keep the faith in the man who has served him so well over the years.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.

Whatever the case, Ederson certainly needs to regain the form he showed over his first seven years at the Etihad Stadium, or could be sold in ruthless fashion.

As bad as Ederson: Pep must ditch 5/10 Man City star who lost the ball 13x

The Man City ace struggled to make an impact vs Feyenoord

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 27, 2024

Thomas Tuchel says it makes "no sense" to call up Cole Palmer for England's upcoming World Cup qualifiers due to a muscular injury.

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• Palmer suffers muscle injury
• Won't play in England games
• Tuchel issues verdict on Chelsea man

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Palmer was left out of Chelsea's squad for the 1-0 loss to Arsenal last weekend due to illness, and head coach Enzo Maresca later revealed the 22-year-old had picked up a "muscle problem" in training. Despite being named in new England boss Tuchel's first Three Lions squad last week, the German has made it clear the attacking midfielder won't feature in their World Cup qualifiers over the next few days.

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  WHAT THOMAS TUCHEL SAID

  He told reporters on Thursday: "Cole will not be with us. We waited a while for feedback. But he is not on the pitch and it makes no sense to call him up now."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Palmer is struggling for form and goals at present, with the Chelsea man last scoring more than two months ago. The ex-Manchester City ace will need time to rediscover his form and playing while injured will not help towards that goal. Even Maresca admitted the England international is "human", so some time off may do him good.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Tuchel's first England games are against Albania on Friday and Latvia on Monday as they begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

A club are preparing to push hard for one member of Ange Postecoglou’s squad in January, as the player looks for a way out of Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs face Bournemouth after disappointing 1-1 draw to Fulham

The Lilywhites take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium tonight, and it is quite uncertain which version of Spurs we’ll see.

Tottenham dealt new Cristian Romero to Real Madrid worry after fresh update

He’s seen as crucial by Ange.

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By
Emilio Galantini

Dec 4, 2024

Postecoglou’s side thumped Premier League champions Man City 4-0, thrashed London rivals West Ham in a London derby, beat top-four rivals Aston Villa by three goals and dominated Man United at Old Trafford, but they also handed both Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace their first wins of the season.

Tottenham’s inconsistency has been a real chink in their armour so far, and it could seriously endanger their prospects of clinching a first piece of silverware since 2008 and a place in the top four at the end 2024/2025.

It will be interesting to see how Spurs decide to show up on the south coast this evening, but they also are not helped by the plethora of absentees in their squad right now.

Postecoglou is without his number one keeper Guglielmo Vicario for the foreseeable future after surgery on an ankle fracture, while he’s also missing his star central defensive duo Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.

Wilson Odobert, Richarlison, Mikey Moore and Rodrigo Bentancur are also set to miss tonight’s trip, while doubts surround summer signing Dominic Solanke, which has left Spurs very short on the field.

“Everyone from the weekend got through OK, Archie [Gray] obviously got a knock, but he’s recovered well,” said Postecoglou on Tottenham team news before Bournemouth.

“Dom’s due to train today, he’s still not 100 per cent, but he’s definitely improved from the weekend, so we’ll see how he goes through training today. The other injured guys are inching closer but not available.”

Due to the severe shortage of options, Postecoglou has even suggested that they could turn to £120,000-per-week outcast Sergio Reguilon, who is yet to make a first-team appearance and this season and was included on the bench for the first time in months against Fulham.

“He is ready. He is training every day so part of the squad and we’re down in numbers, but there is also a reason why Reggy is in the last year of his contract with us,” said Postecoglou on Reguilon.

“We’ll see how that all transpires but nothing wrong with his attitude. He is training every day and we literally have schoolboys on the bench, so we’re low down on numbers and he’ll probably be involved again tomorrow.”

Getafe prepared to open talks for Tottenham defender Sergio Reguilon

As a result of his exclusion from the team, Reguilon is attracting interest from La Liga, as he reportedly looks for a way out of N17.

There have even been reports that Reguilon wants to terminate his Spurs contract, with SuperDeporte now providing an update on the former Real Madrid defender’s future heading into January.

The Spanish news outlet writes that Getafe are prepared to “negotiate hard” to sign Reguilon from Tottenham, as they look to take advantage of this situation and shore up their left-back department.

“Frustration” is emerging from Reguilon and his camp over the lack of game time, with Getafe apparently ready to offer him a route out of north London. Reguilon is accomplished at the top level, spending last season on loan spells at Man United and Brentford, so he could be a very astute option on loan mid-season.

According to SuperDeporte, Tottenham will demand around £10 million to sell him outright in January, despite his contract expiring at the end of this campaign.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are edging ever closer to a brand new era in the Molineux dug-out with Vitor Pereira now nailed on to be Gary O’Neil’s successor.

Indeed, the well-travelled Portuguese manager has reportedly penned an 18-month contract to take on the reins, leaving Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab behind for a tough new challenge in England.

He will want to instantly stamp his authority onto proceedings, which could see him shake things up with the captain’s armband, after Nelson Semedo was recently gifted the honour by the now sacked O’Neil.

Semedo's appointment as Wolves captain

After unsavoury scenes at the full-time whistle of Wolves’ 2-1 defeat to West Ham United saw Mario Lemina clash with Jarrod Bowen, the Gabonese midfielder was stripped of the captaincy.

O’Neil would then give that privilege to the 31-year-old full-back, who is a long-standing servant of the West Midlands side after all, by notching up 159 Old Gold appearances and counting.

But, his performances this season to date haven’t exactly been without fault, with possession lost 15 times by the experienced defender when Wolves lost to AFC Bournemouth in late November.

Moreover, his future at the club isn’t exactly set in stone when you consider his current contract at Molineux expires next summer, with no confirmation whether this deal will be extended.

Therefore, the decision to gift him the captain’s role feels like a strange one, with Pereira perhaps overruling this choice when he officially gets settled in to the job post.

He could instead be prepared to give another defender a redemptive arc by making him his first-ever Wolves captain, knowing the experience he has in his locker could be big for his side’s chances of survival.

Pereira's first Wolves captain

That player is Craig Dawson, who is in desperate need of a boost in confidence after his last outing for Wolves saw him score two own goals during a nightmarish away day at Everton.

That one horrific day at the office doesn’t mean the seasoned 34-year-old has suddenly become an incapable option at the back, however, with the Wolves number 15 a reliable defender in the past at Molineux and for his various other clubs in the Premier League.

The top-flight veteran more than did his job last season when O’Neil needed him to, with 4.4 total duels won on average per league game helping the Old Gold survive comfortably, alongside also chipping in with two goal contributions.

Even this campaign to date, Dawson has shown there’s no rust visible in his game when coming up against some of the very best in the league, having reduced Erling Haaland to just 13 touches when Manchester City came to town in October.

Moreover, the one-time Watford and West Brom man is a beloved figure at West Ham for scoring crucial goals like these in tense contests, with 22 career goals coming his way from the centre-back position across a hefty 300 clashes.

Dawson would even be labelled as “outstanding” by football journalist Matt Law when at the peak of his game donning a Hammers strip, with Pereira now tasked with getting this similarly imposing defender back when he slots into his new dug-out.

Whilst Dawson’s contract also expires next summer, former boss O’Neil even quipped last year that the ageing star could still be a mainstay in the Midlands for years to come:

Equally, his career to date in the top flight shows off a defender who is willing to put his body on the line for the cause, which is what Pereira will want from his troops as they aim to push up the league rankings under his fresh managerial methods.

Vitor Pereira must immediately axe £140k-p/w Wolves trio in January

It could be a big window for Wolves under their new manager.

By
Joe Nuttall

Dec 18, 2024

Ruben Amorim revealed why Chido Obi-Martin will not feature in Manchester United's matchday squad against Nottingham Forest.

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• Obi-Martin won't play against Forest
• Amorim explained reason for youngster's absence
• Man Utd take on Nottingham Forest on Tuesday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After the international break, United are all set to return to action in the Premier League on Tuesday as they take on Nottingham Forest away from home. Teenager Obi-Martin, however, will not feature in the difficult fixture, as he has been included in the club's U-18 team, who are scheduled to face Aston Villa in the semi-final of FA Youth Cup on Monday.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Since moving from Arsenal last year, the striker has been instrumental for the Red Devils U-18 side as he has scored seven goals in three appearances in the youth tournament, including a hat-trick against Chelsea in the fifth round.

• WHAT RUBEN AMORIM SAID

  Speaking to reporters, manager Amorim said: "He is going to play today because we try to imagine the next game and if you look before he was on the bench and just played against Fulham, but just 10 minutes at the end of the game, and we have to manage the minutes, we have to give the minute stop the kid.

  "So tomorrow I try to imagine the game, I imagine also it is really important for our young kids to feel the energy also of the game. It is really important for us, we are trying to win that competition, trying to build something with the youth, and the good thing with the academy players is they have that feeling of winning. So we are trying to to manage everything and Chido needs to play also, so we are helping the team and the player."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  After facing Forest in midweek, Amorim's side will next take on rivals Manchester City in a derby clash in the Premier League on April 6.

Kylian Mbappe will take penalties for Real Madrid from their next match as Vinicius Junior is punished for missing a spot-kick against Valencia.

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• Vinicius Jr stripped of penalty duties
• Mbappe to take penalties for Madrid
• Brazilian missed spot-kick against Valencia

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Brazilian winger failed to hand his team an early lead as he saw his feeble shot comfortably saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili. The penalty miss proved costly as Madrid eventually went down 2-1 against Valencia in La Liga last weekend. Now, reports that manager Ancelotti has decided to remove Vinicius Jr. from penalty duties as Mbappe is all set to take the club's spot-kicks, starting with their upcoming Champions League fixture against Arsenal.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The blunder against Valencia was the Brazilian's second penalty miss in the 2024-25 campaign, as he had earlier failed to convert a spot-kick against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. The report also adds that if Mbappe now fails to convert penalties, the next in line to take spot-kicks is Jude Bellingham. Like Vinicius Jr, Mbappe too has missed two penalties this season, while Bellingham has missed once.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Valencia goalkeeper Mamardashvili has revealed that he had offered a bet to the Brazilian winger. Vinicius was lining up to take a penalty when the custodian said he would pay the star €50 if he was to score, and Vinicius agreed to pay the same fee should he miss.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  Los Blancos are set to visit North London to face Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final fixture at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.