Arsenal's coach Arsene Wenger (right) answers a question next to Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas of Spain during a news conference at Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium yesterday. Arsenal will face Real Madrid for a Champions League knockout round first leg soccer match today. - REUTERS
MADRID (Reuters):
IT IS the last-chance saloon for Arsenal when they face a rejuvenated Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League knockout tie at the Bernabeu today.
For Arsene Wenger's side the game represents their only remaining hope of saving a season that is threatening to disintegrate around them and to make matters worse they appear to have caught the Spaniards just when they have rediscovered their best form.
The Londoners, who impressed in the group stage, have gone into freefall in recent months and hardly look to be in the best shape to face up to their first-ever meeting with the nine-time European champions.
They are out of both English cups and are struggling in fifth place in the league, 25 points behind runaway leaders Chelsea.
A taxing injury list, a string of poor results and some off-field distractions complete a miserable picture for their French coach going into the club's biggest game of the season.
CONFIDENCE PROBLEM
"At the moment we are struggling a little from a confidence problem," Wenger said after a late 1-0 defeat at Liverpool last Tuesday, Arsenal's seventh away loss of the season.
Sol Campbell, who went missing for several days after being substituted in a 3-2 home defeat by West Ham United two weeks ago, is absent injured and though Kolo Toure is back from the African Nations Cup the defence remains lightweight.
As so often before, Arsenal's hopes appear to depend on Thierry Henry - but with the club captain also perhaps distracted by daily media speculation about his future it is a lot to ask of the France striker.
As far as who is going to partner him, José Antonio Reyes remains a doubt with an ankle injury, Dennis Bergkamp says he is prepared to travel by road and sea while 16-year-old Theo Walcott could be given an incredible debut, possibly off the bench.
Real's season has been the mirror image of Arsenal's, a poor start giving way to a series of confident displays under new coach Juan Ramón Lopez Caro.
They chalked up their sixth league win in a row with an easy 3-0 victory over struggling Alaves on Saturday and received a further boost with the return to action of skipper Raul after three months out because of a serious knee injury.
Although Real went out of the King's Cup last week, spirits were raised by their storming, but ultimately futile, 4-0 win over Real Zaragoza in which they narrowly failed to overturn a 6-1 first-leg deficit.
Ronaldo is set to make his first start for Real in a Champions League match this season and Robinho has hit a rich vein of scoring form, notching up his 11th goal of the season all in competitions against Alaves.
If Raul plays he will become the first player to appear in 100 Champions League games. He is the competition's all-time leader scorer with 51.
Main Tournament - Last 16, first leg
TODAY'S MATCHES (GMT)
Bayern Munich (Germany) vs AC Milan (Italy) (1945)
Benfica (Portugal) vs Liverpool (England) (1945)
PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) vs Olympique Lyon (France) (1945)
Real Madrid (Spain) vs Arsenal (England) (1945)
TOMORROW'S MATCHES (GMT)
Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands) vs Inter Milan (Italy) (1945)
Chelsea (England) vs Barcelona (Spain) (1945)
Rangers (Scotland) vs Villarreal (Spain) (1945)
Werder Bremen (Germany) vs Juventus (Italy) (1945)
