UCL: In real trouble, Madrid look to produce comeback for ages vs Arsenal

Manchester: Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal hold such commanding leads in their Champions League quarterfinal matches that a place in the last four looks all but certain.

Don’t be so sure.

European club football’s most prestigious competition has a habit of upsetting the odds. Barcelona and PSG have very recent memories of how quickly things can change.

Barcelona were 4-2 up on aggregate against PSG early in the second leg of last year’s quarterfinals - only to lose 6-4.

In 2017 PSG led 4-0 after the first leg of a Round of 16 game between the two in Paris, but famously lost 6-1 at Camp Nou. Part of what makes the Champions League such compelling viewing is the fragility of even the most commanding leads.

Record 15-time winners and defending champions Real Madrid will have to produce another of its famous comebacks to overturn a 3-0 first leg loss to Arsenal.

If anyone can, Madrid can - but it goes into Wednesday’s game at the Bernabeu after a run of unconvincing results. Carlo Ancelotti’s team has only won one of its last four games in all competitions - Sunday’s 1-0 victory against Alaves.

This could be the first great Barcelona team of the post-Lionel Messi era. Top of the La Liga and on the verge of the Champions League semifinals, Barcelona looks like the team to beat in this year’s competition.

Leading 4-0 against Borussia Dortmund, it would take the unlikeliest of collapses in Germany on Tuesday to prevent Hansi Flick’s team from booking its place in the semifinals.