Arsenal star set to miss first leg of UCL Q/F clash against Real Madrid after picking up booking in PSV draw
Arsenal forward Raheem Sterling will miss the Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Real Madrid after getting booked against PSV Eindhoven. The Gunners secured a 2-2 draw against the Dutch side in the Champions League Round-of-16 second leg on Wednesday, March 12.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Declan Rice scored the goals, as the north London side progressed to the quarterfinals with a 9-3 aggregate score. Sterling was handed a rare start for Arsenal and set up both goals.
However, the Englishman picked up a yellow card in the third minute of second-half injury time. It was Sterling's third booking in the Champions League this season, and, as a result, he will have to sit out the quarterfinal first leg against Real Madrid.
Interestingly, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber will both miss the second leg, if they pick up a booking in the first leg. Bukayo Saka remains a doubt, but the Gunners will be hoping to have him back from injury in time for the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Los Blancos scraped through to the quarterfinals after a 4-2 win via penalties over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. Real Madrid arrived at the game with a 2-1 lead from the first leg, but Conor Gallagher's first-minute strike brought Los Rojiblancos back into the tie.
However, Los Blancos held their nerves and progressed to the quarterfinals via penalties. They will now face Arsenal on April 8, with the first leg scheduled at the Emirates.
Have Arsenal and Real Madrid faced each other in the Champions League before?
Arsenal and Real Madrid have met just once in the Champions League since the inception of the tournament. Interestingly, the two sides locked horns in the Round of 16 of the 2005/06 campaign.
The Gunners traveled to the Santiago Bernabeu to face Los Blancos in the first leg. Although they arrived at the game as underdogs, the north London side stunned the LaLiga champions by picking up a 1-0 win.
Club legend Thierry Henry scored the only goal of the game to set up a thrilling second leg at the Emirates. Despite Real Madrid's best efforts, they failed to score in the away leg, and bowed out of the tournament.
Arsenal saw off Juventus in the quarterfinals, before getting the better of Villarreal in the semifinals. However, the Gunners bandwagon was finally brought to a halt in the final by Barcelona, who secured a 2-1 win to lift the title.
