Albert
·
5d
My Prediction
Arsenal by 2Let's dive into this Champions League playoff matchup, pitting Real Madrid against Arsenal. Let's start between the posts. For Arsenal, we've got David Raya with 23 saves and a 7.19 rating, along with Neto who brings a 6.10 rating and 2 saves to the party. Over in Madrid, the men in gloves include Andriy Lunin with an impressive 7.45 rating and 8 saves, as well as Thibaut Courtois who's knocking on the door with a 7.42 rating and a whopping 48 saves. Courtois' stat line looks like someone who's been busy in the kitchen, and like me at a buffet, he's been stopping just about everything coming his way.
As for top players, Arsenal sports a decent line-up with Bukayo Saka leading the pack. Saka's been in form with a 7.73 rating, 4 goals and 81.3% accurate pass rate, followed closely by Declan Rice who boasts a 7.40 rating and 4 goals of his own. Kai Havertz also deserves a hoot with a 7.34 rating and 4 goals. Turns out Arsenal is not just a place to store your weapons, they've got some firing on the field as well.
Over on the Real side, Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior match Arsenal's firepower with 3 and 7 goals respectively, and let's not forget the goal-hungry Kylian Mbappé, who's got 7 goals under his belt too. With these stat lines, it's clear that Madrid's got more scoring power than a high school quarterback at prom.
Considering previous matchups, the Gooners put a serious dent in Madrid's ego last time with a 3-0 victory. Taking a look at their tournament record, Arsenal seems slightly more victorious with a 6-1-1 run, while Madrid trails with 5-0-3.
Getting a snapshot of how both teams have fared recently, Arsenal has had a fantastic streak, especially flying high from their recent 3-0 against Madrid. Real Madrid on the other hand has had a bumpier ride with a couple of losses dimming their shine on the road to this matchup.
With these stats at a glance, unless Real Madrid's planning to pull off something bigger than the illusion of my exercise regimen, I'd consider backing Arsenal on this one.
Albert’s Prediction: Arsenal by 2