“I'm expecting an evenly-matched tie between two teams having a very good season,” said Real Madrid Femenino boss Alberto Toril ahead of the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League tie with Arsenal at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium on Tuesday.

It is an exciting tie. It is one that not many people know what to expect from. Arsenal and Real Madrid have never met in an official match before, and it will be good to see how everything unravels.

Toril respects Arsenal, and It will be a tough match for the Spanish side. But it is also a tie that both sets of fans wanted before the draw took place on February 7. Both sides knew this was their best shot to reach the semi-finals, but the finer details are more complex than that. 

For Real Madrid, it was going to be an uphill task no matter who they faced in this round. This particular hill, however, feels slightly less inclined than the ones the Spanish side have avoided.

Arsenal still go into the match as favourites, and rightfully so – but Real Madrid have the tools to disrupt their near-perfect momentum since the Gunners’ permanent appointment of Renee Slegers as head coach.

Real Madrid’s pace on the wings is very important in their build-up play. Naomie Feller, Linda Caicedo and Athenea Del Castillo are some of the quickest in the business. Arsenal’s defence is great, but the flanks are where Real Madrid could hurt the Gunners if they play their cards right.

Las Blancas also enjoy having the ball. They try to build from the back, and Toril has heavily focused on that ever since his appointment back in 2021. Even against Chelsea – who are practically like bloodhounds on the chase when they are counter-pressing – Real Madrid tried their best to take the game to Chelsea and play through the opposition. Whether that is a blessing or a curse for them against Arsenal, only time will tell. 

“We have to take the game to where it suits us: controlling possession, being positionally comfortable and not allowing them space to run into,” said Toril, as he looked forward to the game that, according to him, will have a bunch of “mini-battles”.

A part of some of those battles would be Caroline Weir. Even after the horrible injury she suffered in 2023-24, she is still the centrepiece of all the good things Real Madrid do going forward. Even though she has not hit the goalscoring strides of her 2022-23 season – when she had 21 goals and 12 assists in all competitions – Weir is still vital for this Real Madrid side. She is averaging a career-high 3.09 key passes per 90 in Liga F this season, and that number is bound to go up as she plays more and more minutes. The shockwaves of the ACL tear still may have some after-effects, but there is a chance that Weir is saving her best for the tie against her former club.

Weir has not played in Real Madrid’s last two matches – going off injured in Real Madrid’s last win, a 4-0 triumph over Sevilla. Since then, Real Madrid have lost 3-1 to Barcelona, and had to come back twice to salvage a point in the 2-2 draw against Deportivo La Coruña. She should be able to return for the match against the Gunners, though, as she completed the training with the rest of the squad on Monday.

One of the players who did not, however, was Teresa Abelleira. One of the most intelligent players that Real Madrid have to offer, Teresa ruptured her ACL during the most recent international break in February, and her absence will be felt in the midfield, especially because of how technically gifted Arsenal’s midfield and attack are.

Real Madrid will go into this tie on the back of poor form, injuries, and a coach who, although has managed to get the club into good league positions, still leaves a lot to be desired.

Toril has seldom managed to put together masterclasses against Europe’s elite sides, often deflecting criticism by talking about previous battles against the same team, or how the team’s standings have improved from the season before. A lack of ambition is often felt sometimes, but if there is one place where Real Madrid could turn that around, it is the Champions League.

Before the big clash on Tuesday, midfielder Sandie Toletti said: “It's going to be a very exciting match, and we have the ambition to be among the top four teams in Europe." For Real Madrid fans, it must have been good to hear the words from Toletti. It will be interesting to see whether those words translate onto the pitch and into the rest of the team after hearing the Champions League anthem, as it so often has in the past.