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Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live, minute-by-minute coverage of a unique night in English football history. Two English sides – among the best in the world but with only one European Cup between them – face two of Europe’s supergiants (20 European Cups between them), knowing that if they both go through they will meet in a blockbuster all-English semi-final.
There’s more. Arsenal and Manchester City are already in a three-horse title race with Liverpool. And two of the biggest threats to their Champions League hopes – and English football’s potential hegemony – are England’s two best players, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
Last week’s first legs were all kinds of fun, but they were never likely to be decisive. Only the apocalypse can stop tonight’s games from being decisive. Best of all, the two matches are taking place simultaneously.
You can follow Manchester City v Real Madrid (agg: 3-3) with Kieran Crichard, and we’ll be watching Bayern Munich v Arsenal (agg: 2-2). Both teams came away from last week’s first leg at the Emirates thinking they were denied a clear penalty; both will fancy their chances tonight.
Bayern’s list of absentees – Alphonso Davies, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman – should increase Arsenal’s chances of going through. This is an important night for their Premier League challenge, never mind the Champions League. If they go out tonight, on the back of Sunday’s meek, initiative-surrendering defeat at home to Aston Villa, their morale will be subterranean.
If they knock Bayern Munich out and reach their first Champions League semi-final since 2009, on the other hand, they will become the first Arsenal team ever to reach the semi-finals of Europe’s biggest competition while also having a genuine chance of winning the league. Ultimately they want to make more meaningful history, but that would be a good place to start.
“Most of our players have not experienced a night like this,” said Mikel Arteta yesterday. “They are super-motivated, they are prepared. They feel confident and it is something that we are going to have to show against an opponent that has this experience. But we want to make it happen.”
Kick off is at 8pm, and we’ll have team news shortly.
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