While Kompany is determined to strip away Madrid’s European mystique, Alvaro Arbeloa is more than happy to lean directly into it. Despite facing increasing scrutiny after a run of three games without a win, the Blancos boss remains steadfast in his belief that the club’s DNA will see them through. 

“To begin with, we are Real Madrid,” Arbeloa told reporters. “If there’s a team that comes to this stadium to turn things around, it’s us. If we won [the first leg], it wouldn’t have been anything crazy. Their goalkeeper [Manuel Neuer] was the MVP.”

As the curtain prepares to rise on this make-or-break night at the Allianz Arena, Arbeloa’s final message leaves no room for doubt about the camp’s mentality. “We are capable of it. The Real Madrid coach believes, the players believe, and the club believes,” he concluded. “There hasn’t been a single fan I’ve met these past few days who doesn’t believe we’re going to win.”