Real Madrid had a fantastic result midweek, winning the second leg against Liverpool 1-0 and 6-2 on aggregate. So, despite a lot of question marks about form and squad depth, Carlo Ancelotti's men have once again reached the knockout stages of the Champions League. And they have to be considered as one of the top contenders to go ahead and win it all.
Important matches do not stop with Real Madrid. This weekend, they will face Barcelona at Camp Nou. This is an extremely important match for Real Madrid in the race to win the La Liga title. It's what they call a "six point" game. If Los Blancos win, the gap with Barcelona will be shortened to 6 points. On the other hand, if Ancelotti's men lose, they will be 12 points behind the Catalan giants with 12 games left.
If that happens, the title race will be almost over. So Real Madrid will have to march to the Camp Nou in search of a victory. It will definitely make for an interesting contest. They lost consecutive matches against Barcelona before this match. And they also received a heavy blow.
The Real Madrid star will not play against Barcelona at Camp Nou
According to information from The Athletic, after Thursday's assessment, it is likely that David Alaba will be absent for the match against Barcelona. The Austrian defender remains on the sidelines.
Alaba was injured in the first leg against Liverpool at Anfield. And he hasn't returned to action since.
There have also been question marks about the Austrian international's performance after the World Cup break. And he certainly wasn't helped by the injury. The good news is that Antonio Rudiger seems to have improved in recent times. Eder Militao played very well. And Nacho Fernandez replaced left-back.
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Arsenal were knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday night.
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Mikel Arteta has a number of injuries Arsenal have to contend with after their Europa League clash
Arsenal were knocked out of the Europa League after a heavy penalty shootout defeat to Sporting Lisbon.
Here are five lessons learned.
Arsenal proved Ten Hag wrong
In the middle of the week, Erik ten Hag claimed that Arsenal were able to keep their core squad in good shape all season. Speaking of injuries and suspensions at Manchester United this season, the Dutchman said:
"We have to deal with it well but Arsenal, all the time, their team is absolutely ready."
But Ten was wrong in just 25 minutes at the Emirates Stadium. First, Takehiro Tomiyasu was injured. More worryingly, William Saliba crashed shortly after.
Arteta hopes the injury won't last long. The Spaniard could not tolerate too many injuries during the Premier League foray.
Xhaka shines
Arteta has revamped his midfield with only Granit Xhaka left from the familiar Swiss trio of Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey. This leaves a lot of pressure on Xhaka's shoulders when he has to lead Arsenal's midfield.
And the 30-year-old did it brilliantly. He constantly pressed Sporting, held the ball, organized a counter-attack and completed a sweep to open the scoring.
Xhaka's celebration - with his thumb to his nose and waving his fingers - shows a man enjoying his football. Once a figure seen as malevolent, he will play a key role in guiding Arsenal to the Premier League title once they are out of Europe. Arteta is in danger of failure
The Arsenal boss made some changes to this game, risking a disjointed performance that saw his side knocked out of the Europa League. That gamble ultimately failed for the 40-year-old, as Arsenal were unable to meet Sporting in normal time.
Odegaard, Partey, Ben White, Bukayo Saka have all been dropped from the starting lineup. Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Fabio Silva and Reiss Nelson have barely played more often.
Edwards testifies in the Premier League
Marcus Edwards has impressed in games against Arsenal and former club Tottenham this season. And the British once again excelled at home.
The former youngster - once compared to Lionel Messi by Mauricio Pochettino - has had to rebuild his career after failing to make the leap from Spurs. He has performed extremely well in Portugal and is now linked with big Premier League revenues.
Edwards created two great opportunities. Aaron Ramsdale made a brilliant save to deny the Londoner in the second half. The conference shows the spirit of Arsenal
Arsenal were once seen as weak and often unable to cope with setbacks. No more.
After Pedro Goncalves' superb 46-yard goal to equalize for Sporting midway through the second half, Arsenal's players organized their formation in the home half. Several players spoke out as the stars died down.
Although Arsenal lost, it was a big change from an Arsenal team lacking a leader.
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