REALITY BITES

Zinchenko: We'll need the performance of our lives against mighty Madrid

- MIKE WALTERS

OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO fired up Arsenal for their Champions League acid test and warned: “We're going to need the performance of our lives.”

The Gunners players clustered around the dressing-room TV to watch Real Madrid edge past Spanish capital rivals Atletico in a controversial penalty shoot-out to earn a date with Mikel Arteta’s side in the quarter-finals.

And Zinchenko, who was a revelation in midfield as rested skipper Martin Odegaard’s understudy in the 2-2 draw against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night, is relishing having a tilt at Real's dizzying cast of Galacticos.

Despite reaching the last eight in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 15 years, the Gunners will be underdogs with the second leg in Real's Bernabeu fortress.