CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DEBUT: ALVARO ARBELOA FACES MONACO TEST AMIDST SIX KEY DEFENSIVE ABSENCES

Alvaro Arbeloa makes his Champions League debut as Real Madrid hosts Monaco. Get the latest injury news and predicted 2026 lineups.

Champions League Debut: Alvaro Arbeloa faces Monaco test amidst six key defensive absences
Arbeloa’s UCL Trial

Alvaro Arbeloa is about to step into his first European match as a manager on Tuesday night, with Real Madrid hosting AS Monaco at 21:00 CEST. It’s the second-to-last game in the group, and things are tight. Real Madrid sits in seventh place right now—just three points off second, but also only three ahead of Monaco, who is down in 19th and fighting to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

Arbeloa has a headache when it comes to his squad list. Alvaro Carreras joins Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, and Brahim Diaz on the list of players missing through suspension. Brahim’s still on his way back from the African Cup of Nations. Monaco’s boss, Sebastien Pocognoli, has his own problems: Lamine Camara and Krepin Diatta are away at AFCON, and Takumi Minamino, Lukas Hradecky, Paul Pogba, Mohammed Salisu, and Christian Mawissa are all injured.

Looks like Arda Guler is set to start for Real Madrid. Both Diario AS and Marca say his spark off the bench against Levante earned him a spot in the midfield, likely taking Eduardo Camavinga’s place. Fran Garcia should fill in for Carreras. The only real question is about Gonzalo Garcia—Marca thinks Franco Mastantuono will take his spot, but AS says Gonzalo stays.

As for Monaco, expect Alexander Golovin and Folarin Balogun to lead the line, with Magnes Akliouche causing trouble on the right. Ansu Fati, on loan from Barcelona, is probably starting too.

Monaco really needs to turn things around. They’ve lost four in a row in Ligue 1, including a 3-1 defeat to Lorient last time out. Real Madrid have had their own drama after losing to Albacete last week, but they got within a point of Barcelona over the weekend. A win against Monaco could flip the mood in Madrid and give the Bernabeu something to cheer about.

ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION

Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.

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Arsenal Bag Extra £15.9m Prize Money After Historic Champions League Semifinal - Photo Credit: PA

Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.

Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.

From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.

That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.

By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.

They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.

Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.

It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.

Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.

PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.

Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.

JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL

Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.

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Oblak Demands Mentality Shift At Atletico After Crashing Out To Arsenal - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.

Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”

He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”

On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”

Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”

At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a

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