It's a mouth-watering prospect for anyone connected with either club, and given the way that both managers like their football to be played, the two legs could really be matches for the purist.
Mikel Arteta called on Gunners supporters to "raise the roof" in his pre-match press conference. “I hope, I encourage them (Arsenal fans) to come very early to the warm-up and create (one of) those nights…we haven’t lived many of those at the Emirates, so that’s an opportunity again. When we build history, we have to build moments, and a moment is being built with our people. We have to create that energy, that belief, that enthusiasm.”
Losing Gabriel to a season-ending injury couldn't have come at a worse time for the Gunners, given that the Brazilian powerhouse had been one the Arsenal's most consistent performers throughout the 2024/25 campaign.
Of the outfield players, only defensive partner, William Saliba, started as many games (40) this season, and his 3,500 minutes played is second only to the Frenchman too (keeper David Raya tops the charts in both metrics).
A stunning pass accuracy of 90.5% is also only bettered by Saliba, whilst a 64.3% pass completion stat, 128 clearances, 101 ball recoveries and 23 interceptions evidence a defensive excellence.
The centre-back has proven to be an incredible asset at set pieces too, and his five goals in the campaign is just two behind the likes of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.
Arsenal have never lost to Real Madrid
It's the third meeting between the teams in European competition, following their last-16 tie in the Champions League in 2005/06 when Arsenal won 1-0 in the first leg away from home, before drawing 0-0 at Highbury in the second leg.
Los Blancos haven’t lost the first leg in any of their last eight knockout stage ties in the competition (W5 D3), and have beaten seven English sides previously in the Champions League - though the Gunners aren't one of them.
The North Londoners should also be encouraged by the fact that they've led for longer than any other team in this season's competition (568 minutes overall), they rank first in the Champions League this season for xG against per game (0.88) and only Inter have conceded fewer goals per game (0.6).
One player Arsenal do need to be wary of is the electric Kylian Mbappe. The French World Cup winner has scored 10 goals in 16 games against English teams in the UCL – four of which came in two matches against Manchester City in this season's play-off round.
At opposite ends of the age range, you have Jude Bellingham and Luka Modric. The marauding No.5 is, so far, the only Englishman to start in a Champions League quarter-final while aged 18 or younger (17 v Manchester City in April 2021), however, Arsenal pair Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri could become the only players other than Bellingham to do so on Tuesday (both aged 18).
Modric has shown that age hasn't wearied him and that class is indeed permanent given that he's averaged 17.5 line-breaking passes per 90 in the competition this season; the most of any player with 500+ minutes played.
Real have that wonderful habit of always seeming to be able to get the job done too, though this is largely down to a consistent belief across the board that they will do so. So many teams appear intimidated by that before a game has even kicked off, so if Arsenal can match that mentality, it really could be some game at the Emirates.
In the last 12 games in all competitions, Carlo Ancelotti's side have flitted between brilliance and abjectivity in terms of performance and results. A loss to Valencia last time out was their third in the last dozen matches, a run which has also included two draws and seven wins, of which five were by the odd goal.
Real have conceded at least twice in their last three games in all competitions, offering Arsenal a real opportunity in the first leg if the hosts get at their more celebrated opponents.
Gunners in form ahead of Champions League test
The Gunners' own form has been decent enough by contrast.
For a start, they're unbeaten in their last seven in all competitions and have won seven of their last 12. Draws away at Nottingham Forest, Man United and Everton were creditable, and their home draw against PSV didn't really matter given Arsenal had won the first leg of their Round of 16 tie by 7-1.
Their only real disappointments since the end of January were a toothless home defeat against West Ham and a Carabao Cup semi-final loss up at Newcastle, and to that end, the North Londoners should at least go into the first leg full of confidence.
With the Premier League title almost certainly out of reach again for another season, the Champions League represents Arsenal's only chance of silverware this season.
That should be more than enough of an incentive for every single player in the squad to give Arteta absolutely everything over the next 180 minutes across the two legs.
With or without Gabriel, that's all anyone of an Arsenal persuasion can ask for.
