Raheem Sterling out of Real Madrid showdown as Declan Rice and Arsenal star Champions League suspension risks

Evening Standard

·13 marzo 2025

Raheem Sterling out of Real Madrid showdown as Declan Rice and Arsenal star Champions League suspension risks

Another key Gunners player is now a booking away from an automatic one-match ban, with yellow card not wiped until after the quarter-finals

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Arsenal will be without Raheem Sterling for their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid next month.

The Gunners were all-but assured of a place in the last-eight from the first leg thanks to a 7-1 demolition of PSV in Eindhoven. That result made Wednesday night’s second leg a formality and they drew 2-2 at the Emirates Stadium to win 9-3 on aggregate.

Goals from Oleksandr Zinchenko and Declan Rice twice had the north London outfit ahead. Though on each occasions they were pegged back by a PSV side determined to give a better account for themselves following the embarrassing defeat on home soil.

Sterling created both of Arsenal’s goals in the first-half and perhaps should have capped off arguably his best performance in an Arsenal shirt with a goal, or two, as he was twice denied by PSV goalkeeper Walter Benitez.

Unfortunately for the Chelsea loanee, the one downside to an otherwise encouraging outing was the booking he picked up in second half injury-time for sliding in on Johan Bakayoko. With that being his third yellow card in the Champions League, he must now serve a one-game suspension.

As a result, Sterling will be unavailable for selection when Arsenal welcome Real Madrid to the Emirates for the quarter-final first leg in April.

Considering the Gunners are depleted across the forward line, Arteta will hope Bukayo Saka is fit enough to return from injury to boost his options in attack.

Banned: Raheem Sterling will miss Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid

AFP via Getty Images

Whilst Sterling is out of the upcoming quarter-final first leg, Declan Rice has joined Jurrien Timber - booked for time-wasting with just over 20 minutes left in the first leg against PSV - as a suspension risk.

Rice was shown a yellow card after catching Adamo Nagalo when jumping for the ball in his very last action of the night before being replaced by Riccardo Calafiori.

As yellow cards in the Champions League are not reset until after the quarter-final stage, it means another booking for Rice and/or Timber in the first leg against Real Madrid at the Emirates would see them banned for the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.