Two time Champions League winner with Real Madrid Geremi Njitap has warned Arsenal will come up against a relentless force when they travel to the Bernabeu to take on Real Madrid.
The Gunners will face the Los Blancos who are renowned for dramatic comebacks - but they have never been able to return from a 3-0 deficit to progress to the next stage in their history so if that is to happen it will be the first time.
But speaking to Telecom Asia exclusively from his base in Cameroon - former Madrid defender Njitap says Real Madrid just never know when they are beaten which makes this game still within reach.
For Arsenal this will be another opportunity to try first to, I think, to keep the result like that because, obviously, they have a big advantage in the first leg. But, at this level, I think it is a game to watch because, on one hand, you will see people excited.
I mean, both sides will be excited because I think, like I said, they want to both get to the semi final. Arsenal want to get there because they haven't been that far for a while.
So you can imagine that they want to make it for these times. And also for Real Madrid, until the whistle goes on the whistle of the referee, on the last whistle of the referee, you never know that is how they are built- they just never give up.
Real Madrid in recent times reminded many who have been quick to write time off that they are still the best and most historic kings of comebacks. In the 2015/2015 they lost 2-0 to Wolfsburg away and turned it around 3-2 thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hattrick.
They again looked dead and buried in the 2021/2022 season trailing 5-3 against Manchester City on aggregate as the match entered the 90th minute, Rodrygo scored twice to level the tie, and Karim Benzema's extra-time penalty clinched a 6–5 aggregate win.
And Njitab who has been there and done it says one of the reasons they are able to do great comebacks is because of the culture you are immediately introduced to the moment you sign for the club. He said:
I'm gonna tell you, first, you have to know that Madrid, their ambition at the beginning of the season is to win all the titles.
So for any player who arrives or who signed for Madrid, when you arrive, you just have to know that here the ultimate success is in May when you lift the title every other thing is just secondary.
The club have the same expectations as the fans unlike other clubs where the board wants different things to the fans at Madrid. Everyone is on the same page so there is clarity from there and the players get it.
This clarity then creates the expectations because as a player you know everyone is waiting for you to bring it home- not go and qualify or go and give it your best- it's go and win it.
In what is one of the most keenly anticipated second leg of this season's Champions League quarter final - it will give as an insight into two of the games best tacticians - Mikel Arteta’s transformative system and Carlo Ancelloti’s tried and tested ways.
Asked what makes the two managers so intriguing to watch - Njitap concluded:
It's the fact that Ancelloti has come into Madrid and just gone shown that you dont need to do too much to stand out. When you have world class players you let them do the work as you guide them away while Mikel Arteta has restored pride and made Arsenal competitive again.
Not many thought he would be this good but he’s won a trophy and kept them in with a chance to win the league in the last few years. They deserve to get to where they are and I think this game will also tell us how brave- not good because who knows that but how brave they can be when the stakes are this high.
