Jude Bellingham and Antonio Rudiger in training bust-up ahead of Real Madrid v Arsenal | Football

Jude Bellingham and Antonio Rudiger allegedly had to be pulled apart as tempers flared in Real Madrid training ahead of the side’s Champions League quarter-final second leg with Arsenal.

The Gunners ran out 3-0 victors over the reigning European champions to put themselves in the box seat for the semi-finals, with Declan Rice’s free-kick wizardry very nearly taking the roof off the Emirates.

Carlo Ancelotti insisted he and his squad still had ‘belief’ they could turn the tie on its head at the Bernabeu and the Madrid head coach will no doubt have been looking for greater intensity from his players ahead of Wednesday’s must-win clash.

But according to popular Spanish TV show El Chiringuito de Jugones, tensions boiled over after Madrid defender Rudiger, formerly of Chelsea, put in an especially robust challenge on England star Bellingham during Friday’s training session.

It’s claimed Bellingham responded to the tackle by throwing an insult Rudiger’s way and various members of Madrid’s squad had to get in the middle to prevent the fracas from escalating any further.

However, keen to put the incident behind them, Bellingham and Rudiger are said to have immediately buried the hatchet, with Madrid needing to regroup at this crucial stage of the season.

Los Blancos are, of course, up against it in their defence of the Champions League and it’s a similar story in La Liga, as Ancelotti’s men trail Barcelona by four points with just seven games remaining of the campaign.

Kylian Mbappe hinted at a possible sense of frustration within Ancelotti’s squad with a horrendous challenge on Antonio Blanco as Madrid edged past struggling Alaves at the weekend.

The France forward was shown a straight red card for the tackle and is likely to be ruled out of Madrid’s next two league matches against Athletic Bilbao and Getafe through suspension.

But if the offence is deemed a serious violation, the ban could be extended. This could see Mbappe miss Madrid’s Copa del Rey final against Barca on April 26.

Those Arsenal fans hoping that Mbappe could be suspended for the this week’s second leg will be disappointed, though, given the ban only applies to Madrid’s domestic competitions.

‘It was a clear red,’ Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti, son of Carlo, told reporters following the side’s 1-0 win.

‘He apologised, he’s not a violent guy. He understands what he did.

‘All the fouls he received made him react in that way.’

While Arteta encouraged his players to soak up and ‘enjoy’ their magnificent first-leg performance against Madrid, he was also keen to stress that it was ultimately ‘only half-time’ in the contest.

‘We’re going to enjoy the win but we know it’s half-time and we’re going to have to be even better in Madrid,’ the Arsenal head coach said.

‘I was very convinced [this could happen]. I could sense in the build-up we could create a lot of problems.

‘But you have to make it happen. If you have that mindset and belief it can happen, you can deliver it. We did that but it’s only half-time.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Alan Shearer names ‘favourite’ to win Champions League ahead of Arsenal

MORE: Liverpool urged to sign £30m star ahead of Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal

MORE: Aston Villa vs PSG: Champions League team news, predicted lineups and injuries