Real Madrid star hoping to be fit for UEFA Champions League clash against Arsenal after recent injury: Reports
Real Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy is reportedly expecting to be available for the upcoming UEFA Champions League quarter-final with Arsenal next month. The 29-year-old injured his hamstring in the Round-of-16 second-leg win over Atletico Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti's side prevailed on penalties in the second leg at the Wanda Metropolitano. Mendy had provided an assist in the 2-1 first-leg win at the Santiago Bernabeu a week earlier.
The Frenchman played 83 minutes of the second leg before sustaining the aforementioned injury. Initially ruled out for four weeks, Mendy is looking to return for the quarter-final first leg at the Emirates on Aprll 7, as per Madrid Universal.
Mendy has contributed two assists in 30 outings across competitions this season for the reigning La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners. While one assist has come in 14 outings in the league, the other has come in 11 games in the continental competition.
Earlier this season, the Frenchman played the full 90 minutes in Madrid's 2-0 UEF Supercup win over Atalanta. He featured for 75 minutes in the 5-2 Supercopa Espana final loss to Barcelona as well.
What happened the last time Real Madrid played Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League?
Real Madrid and Arsenal don't have much shared history in the UEFA Champions League era. In fact, their only previous meeting in the competition happened nearly two decades ago, also in the knockouts.
The Gunners will have happy memories, as they won the first leg 1-0 away in the 2005-06 Round of 16, thanks to Thierry Henry's 47th-minute winner at the Santiago Bernabeu. The return leg at Highbury ended goalless, sending Arsene Wenger's side through to the last-eight as 1-0 aggregate winners.
The Premier League side would go on to reach the final, where 10-man Arsenal opened the scoring but lost 2-1 to Barcelona. It remains the Gunners' best run in the competition in its current avatar.
The Gunners will look to eliminate the defending champions and embark on a similarly deep run - or beyond - nearly two decades later.
