Real Madrid encounter Manchester City in yet another Champions League knockout phase. The two sides have been pitted against one another in each of the last five campaigns.
Alvaro Arbeloa is dealing with an injury crisis which makes Madrid the underdogs to progress to the quarter-finals. Tonight will be vital for Los Blancos and they must take a lead to the Etihad.
They will have to do that without Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham who are sidelined and there's no certainty either will be back for the second leg. But there are several reasons Arbeloa can overcome Pep Guardiola's Cityzens.
Past experience
Madrid have a better record in the fixture and relying on past experience could be key. Assessing what has worked against City in previous years could go a long way in helping Arbeloa defeat Guardiola.
Take for example the last season's play-offs which were won by Los Blancos both at home and away. Mbappe hit a hat-trick in the second leg and had much joy against City's defense.
While Mbappe will be absent, whoever is leading the line needs to give Guardiola's backline a difficult night. The La Liga giants have a storied history of surviving and thriving and when the pressure is on they often come to the fore in Europe's elite club competition.
Vinicius form
Arbeloa has already spoken of Vinicius Junior's importance ahead of the tie between the two European giants. The Brazilian will need to be at his best and replicate some of the stunning performances put in against City over the years.
Vinicius has bagged two goals and five assists in 10 meetings with the Premier League side. He has returned to form since the turn of the year following a lengthy goal drought.
The 25-year-old sits on 13 goals and 11 assists in 39 games across competitions. He scored a brace across both legs of the play-off win over Benfica.
Erling Haaland not at his best
City's main man is Erling Haaland and keeping the Norweigian quiet will be the focus of Madrid's defense. That could be a job for Antonio Rudiger who has impressed when colliding with some of Europe's top forwards.
Haaland hasn't been at his best as of late despite still producing prolific goalscoring numbers this season. Arbeloa won't have have to worry about the hugely successful connection between the forward and Kevin De Bruyne following the Belgian's move to Napoli last summer.
Manchester United's 2-0 win over City in mid-January should be studied by the coaching team. The Red Devils completely shut out Haaland and even forced Guardiola to bring him off.