Can Madrid turn it around?

That was Jude Bellingham’s warning to Arsenal players after his Real Madrid team were beaten 3-0 by the Gunners in the first leg of their Champions League football quarter-final at the Emirates on Tuesday night.

“ONE place where crazy things happen is our house”.

The two sides face each other in the second leg on Wednesday, April 16 at Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid’s loss on Tuesday was the club’s joint-heaviest defeat in a Champions League knockout match and after the full-time whistle Bellingham said his side were “nowhere near it”.

Real Madrid have now lost five games in the competition this season, a tally that equals a club record.

And Arsenal’s victory was the 12th time an English side have won by three or more goals in the first leg of a Champions League knockout stage tie, and every time the English side has gone through to the next round.

Even so, the England midfielder believes Real are “still alive” in the Champions League – a competition where they have a history of dramatic comebacks.

Last season they were minutes away from losing their semi-final tie with Bayern Munich before turning things around with two late goals at the Bernabeu.

Three seasons ago they needed last-gasp goals at home to Chelsea and Manchester City to help them stay in the Champions League.

In both of those campaigns, Carlo Ancelotti’s side went on to win the competition.

“We need something really special, something crazy really,” Bellingham told Amazon Prime.

“We’ve got 90 minutes of football and anything can happen at the Bernabeu.”

For all of their recent comeback history, Real Madrid have never recovered from a three-goal first-leg deficit to win a Champions League knockout tie.

When told that stat after his side’s 3-0 loss to Arsenal, manager Ancelotti raised an eyebrow, grinned, and told Amazon Prime: “There is always a first time, you have to try.

“The comeback starts tonight.”

And – as the popular saying goes – former England winger and BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Andros Townsend warned Arsenal fans to “never write off Real Madrid”.

While ex-Arsenal defender Matthew Upson said “Real Madrid have been in situations as dire or even worse than this before and managed to find a solution”.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is also wary of Real.

“We are going to have to be even better in Madrid to go through,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka has sent a clear message after he was forced off in Arsenal’s stunning 3-0 Champions League quarter-final first leg win over Real Madrid at Emirates Stadium.

On a special night for Arsenal, two potentially huge worries have put a slight dampener on things as both Saka and Declan Rice were seemingly forced off with injury.

Arteta confirmed as such on both in his press conference after the game.

“I think Dec had an issue with the foot, I don’t know if it was a tackle or what it was, and Bukayo after he got tackled on the foul I think he had a knock and he had to go,” the Arsenal boss said. Asked if either issue was serious, he said: “Doesn’t look serious, no.”

Though it just looks to be minor issues for both, it is highly likely the duo are rested in this Saturday’s Premier League clash against Brentford. Having just come back from injury, Arteta will not want to lose Saka again. – BBC Sport.