Jakub Kiwior to Start for Arsenal Against Real Madrid

LONDON, England (AP) — Arsenal‘s Jakub Kiwior is set to make his starting debut against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals today at 21:00 local time. The decision by coach Mikel Arteta comes as a surprise given Kiwior’s lack of playing time in recent weeks.

Arsenal, who reached the quarterfinals after defeating PSV Eindhoven, aims to build on their strong performance following a 1-1 league draw against Everton last Saturday. Kiwior’s inclusion comes after Gabriel‘s injury opened up the opportunity for the Polish defender.

“He’s shown promise in training, and it’s time to give him a chance,” Arteta stated in a pre-match briefing. Kiwior will join a backline featuring David Raya, William Saliba, and Jurrien Timber.

The squad for Arsenal includes: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard; Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Mikel Merino.

Real Madrid faces a tough matchup after eliminating Atletico Madrid in the prior round. Their starting XI features key players like Thibaut Courtois, Luka Modric, and Kylian Mbappe, as they seek to defend their title.

The lineup for Real Madrid includes: Courtois; Federico Valverde, Marco Asensio, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba; Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modric, Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinícius Junior, and Mbappe.

In another quarterfinal match, Bayern Munich will take on Inter Milan. Bayern advanced by defeating Bayer Leverkusen, while Inter eliminated Feyenoord. The squads for each team are set, with Inter’s Nicola Zalewski returning to the bench after recovering from injury.

The Inter lineup against Bayern is as follows: Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Matteo Darmian, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Carlos Augusto; Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez. Bayern will have the following players: Johannes Urbig; Josip Stanisic, Eric Dier, Min-jae Kim; Konrad Laimer, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Raphael Guerreiro; Samuel Chukwueze, Harry Kane, and Leroy Sane.

As the matches kick off at 21:00, Arsenal and Real Madrid will battle for a crucial spot in the semifinals. Both teams are currently second in their domestic leagues, with Arsenal trailing Liverpool by 11 points, while Real Madrid is four points behind Barcelona.