Real Madrid legend Marcelo has spoken of his “faith” in the current side’s ability to pull off an unlikely Champions League comeback against Arsenal, because it’s in the club’s “DNA”.

Madrid trail 3-0 on aggregate from the quarter-final first leg after being stunned at the Emirates Stadium last week – two quickfire Declan Rice free-kicks did most of the damage.

But the 15-time winners have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat many times in the latter stages in recent memory, most notably against Manchester City in 2022 and Bayern Munich last season.

Reeling Arsenal back in is a different kind of challenge, a bigger margin to close, but with 90 minutes on home turf to score the three goals that would at least force extra-time.

“You can never write off Real Madrid,” Marcelo told ESPN. “Although three goals is a lot of goals, but I am always thinking about Real Madrid and have a lot of faith that they’ll come back. Real Madrid is Real Madrid and they always come back.

“The return leg is at the Bernabeu, the fans will push hard and the players are confident it can happen. Of course, we don’t know what will happen, we have faith and Real Madrid will come back.

“From the moment we join Real Madrid, we’re taught to never give up, and that’s always been in our blood. It’s been like this for many years, and apart from the DNA, it’s hard work, humility, daily dedication, and the support of the fans as well. It’s all part of making things work.”

Only four times in the Champions League knockouts has a team trailing by three or more goals from the first leg successfully overturned that aggregate deficit to progress: Deportivo La Coruna (2004), Barcelona (2017), Roma (2018) and Liverpool (2019). Barcelona’s famous 2017 Remontada is the only time in 69 years of the European Cup that a four-goal lead has been erased.