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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly assigned Kylian Mbappe the penalty-taking duties after Vinicius Junior's missed penalty. Vinicius Jr missed his spot kick last weekend against Valencia as Los Blancos suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat.
Real Madrid had the chance to go 1-0 ahead in just 13 minutes, but Vinicius Jr's weak penalty was comfortably saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili. The Brazilian did find the back of the net, but Carlo Ancelotti's team ended up losing the game 2-1.
As reported by Spanish media outlet Marca via GOAL, Ancelotti has decided to remove Vinicius Jr from penalty-taking duties. Kylian Mbappe will be Los Blancos' new penalty taker starting with their Champions League fixture against Arsenal.
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Vinicius Junior has missed two penalties this season while Kylian Mbappe has also failed to convert two spot kicks. Jude Bellingham is expected to be called upon if Mbappe also fails to deliver from the spot. The Englishman has also failed to score on one occasion from penalties this season.
Real Madrid will take on Mikel Arteta's Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, April 8. Los Blancos, on the other hand, find themselves four points behind Barcelona in LaLiga table with eight games to go.
Emmanuel Petit opens up on Arsenal's chances against Real Madrid in the Champions League
Arsenal icon Emmanuel Petit has claimed that Arsenal have what it takes to beat Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. The Frenchman has claimed that the Gunners must deal with the trio of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.
Petit has claimed that the Gunners must show defensive resilience while also being prolific up front when the opportunity presents itself. He said, via GOAL:
"It's simple. They need to defend well as a unit against Madrid. The likes of Vinicius, Bellingham and Mbappe are players that can hurt you at any time. They have so many top players that can make the difference and they've done it in the past in the Champions League. These are the kinds of players they have to come up against. If they can play as a unit and they can show great character defensively, then they will have a chance. Then they would have to be very clinical. This is something that teams have been struggling with against Real Madrid in the last few years. When opportunity comes, when you have the chance to score, you have to take it."
The former World Cup-winning France international added:
"And we all know that Arsenal, at the moment, don't have the striker for that. I've seen so many games over the last few years when Madrid were dominated by opponents. Matches where the opponent were having so many chances to score, and they didn't take it. Real are very clinical all the time, so for me these are the two main things: play strong defensively, show unity, character and personality. But in the meantime, up front, when one opportunity to score comes up, you have to take it."
Both Arsenal and Real Madrid head into the game following blips in their last league games. The Gunners could only salvage a 1-1 draw against Everton while Los Blancos lost 2-1 to Valencia.
