Real Madrid have been pushed into difficult situations many times, but they can still stand up spectacularly. The past decade has been full of dramatic comebacks at Los Blancos' Bernabeu, especially in the Champions League arena. It is not simple as they are the king of Europe with 16 Champions League titles.
In 2016, they lost 0-2 to Wolfsburg in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Then, they won 3-0 in the second leg at the Bernabeu.
In the 2022 Champions League, the "White Vultures" also lost 0-1 to Paris St Germain in the first leg, but still made an impressive comeback when they won 3-1 in the second leg. Also in that campaign, Real Madrid lost 3-4 to Manchester City, and continued to win 6-5.
But none of Real's first defeats felt as heavy as the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal. Turning the tables with such a large gap was a completely different task.
"It was an extremely difficult match for us. Before the match, we believe that the whole team is ready and well prepared. In the first half, we played organized and maintained the game.
However, after 2 goals conceded from set pieces, the team began to collapse both physically and mentally. The quality of the game has clearly declined" - Carlo Ancelotti said after the loss to Arsenal.
And this is not a surprising result. Real Madrid, apart from the play-off against Man City, have not shown any stable performance. In the big matches this season, they have struggled, being defeated twice by Barcelona at El Clasico.
Of course, at the Bernabeu, anything can happen. An early goal by Real Madrid in the second leg could confuse an inexperienced Arsenal. As long as they have enough motivation and confidence, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius or Kylian Mbappe can all make a difference.
However, Los Blancos now have no room for mistakes. "At the Bernabeu, anything can happen," Ancelotti said last week after a 4-4 draw with Real Sociedad. If Real Madrid want to reach the Champions League semi-finals, they say they will be challenged again, but at a higher level.
"Only one team that can come back from behind with three goals is Real Madrid," Lucas Vazquez said after the defeat to Arsenal.
Similarly, young centre-back Raul Asencio also affirmed: "We are completely confident in the ability to turn the situation around. I call for strength from the fans in the second leg at the Bernabeu".
Clearly, confidence is Real Madrid's only thing left after the defeat at the Emirates. But could that belief turn into the strength to create another miracle night at the Bernabeu?
