Jude Bellingham: Arsenal 2nd leg ‘a night made for Real Madrid’

Cliff Notes – Jude Bellingham: Arsenal 2nd leg ‘a night made for Real Madrid’

• Jude Bellingham expressed confidence in Real Madrid’s ability to overcome a 3-0 deficit against Arsenal, highlighting the club’s history of remarkable comebacks in the Champions League.
• Despite recent poor performances, Bellingham believes in the team’s quality and the supportive atmosphere of the Bernabéu, stating that they have the potential to create a historic moment.
• Coach Carlo Ancelotti downplayed speculation regarding his future, emphasising the need for key players like Kylian Mbappé to perform in the crucial match against Arsenal.

Jude Bellingham: Arsenal 2nd leg ‘a night made for Real Madrid’

Jude Bellingham has said Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Arsenal is “a night made for Real Madrid,” backing his team to deliver a comeback “that would go down in history” at the Bernabéu.

Madrid are famed for their Champions League comebacks — including in their run to the 2022 final, when they upset the odds to eliminate Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City at the Bernabéu — but have never overturned a 3-0 first-leg deficit.

The European champions were poor last week at the Emirates, collapsing to concede three goals in 17 minutes during the second half, but speaking in a pre-match news conference on Tuesday, Bellingham said Madrid are “confident” of producing another comeback.

“I’ve heard it a million times since last week,” Bellingham said. “It’s a night made for Real Madrid, a night that would go down in history … It’s a weird environment. [Losing 3-0] was one of the worst results we could possibly imagine away, and for some reason everyone thinks it’s nailed on that we’ll come back. It’s a nice feeling in a way.”

Bellingham joined Madrid in 2023, winning a Champions League and LaLiga double in his debut season, and has already been involved in some memorable comebacks of his own, including last year’s semifinal when forward Joselu scored two late goals in two minutes at the Bernabéu to knock out Bayern Munich.

“It’s something you want to be a part of, to add to the history of this club,” Bellingham said, when asked about the prospect of another comeback against Arsenal. “There’s not much you can do at this club that hasn’t been done before, and tomorrow we want to do something for the first time.”

“What makes us confident is the quality we have, the history of the club, the aura of the Bernabéu,” Bellingham added. “I think we felt that even though we played as badly as we possibly could [in the first leg], we still had chances, moments, where it felt like if we just increased our level and were more attentive, we could be in [the game].”

Madrid have faced criticism for their performances in recent weeks, going three games without a win — a 4-4 draw with Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey, a 2-1 defeat to Valencia and the Arsenal loss — before Saturday’s narrow 1-0 win at Alavés.

“We’ve definitely shown in some games this year that we’re capable of doing something special,” Bellingham insisted. “I’ve got to be confident in the team, and that’s nothing to do with history. It’s to do with the lads I see in training every single day.”

Coach Carlo Ancelotti said he “doesn’t think” that Wednesday’s result will decide his future as manager — amid speculation that the Italian could depart this summer if Madrid fail to land major trophies — and said forward Kylian Mbappé is “motivated” after his red card against Alavés.

“He was hurt, and disappointed,” Ancelotti said. “He trained well yesterday … We have to score goals, and this season he’s scored a lot of goals. We need his goals more than ever tomorrow.”