For just the fourth time in their history, Arsenal are back in the Champions League semi finals. And they couldn’t have asked for a tougher or more tantalising opponent than Diego Simeone’s new look, goal hungry Atletico Madrid.
Kick off at the Metropolitano is 8pm UK time on Wednesday. Buckle up.
HAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS FOR ARTETA’S GUNNERS
Mikel Arteta returns to his homeland with nothing but good memories. Arsenal have won on each of their last four trips to Spain, including that famous victory across the city at Real Madrid last season.
Another win here would equal the club’s longest ever unbeaten run in the competition: 13 games, set back when they last reached the final in 2006.
Here’s a mad stat for you. Arsenal and Atleti are the two teams who’ve played the most matches in European Cup history without ever lifting the trophy. The Gunners have had 223 cracks at it. Atletico? 190.
One of them will finally get a shot at glory in Budapest on May 30, against either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint Germain. The chance to make history is tantalisingly close for both.
ATLETI’S Jekyll AND HYDE SEASON
After a massive summer reshuffle, Simeone’s side struggled to fire at first winning just one of their first five La Liga games. Then came a run of nine wins in 10, including a 5-2 demolition of Real Madrid, and suddenly title talk was back on.
But losses to Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao knocked them sideways. They’ve since suffered successive defeats to Real Madrid, Barca and Sevilla, before losing the Copa del Rey final on penalties to Real Sociedad. Another reverse at Elche followed. They finally got back to winning ways with a 3-2 win over Bilbao on Saturday.
In Europe? A 14th place finish in the league phase meant a play off against Club Brugge (7-4 on aggregate). Then they battered Tottenham 7-5 over two legs before edging past Barcelona. This is their seventh Champions League semi final but their first since 2016/17.
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAID
Arteta, speaking in his pre match press conference, was typically bullish: “It’s a massive privilege to be here again, two years in a row. We have an opportunity, we’re going to grab it with both hands. You’re going to see a team that wants to be dominant, that wants to win it, and they want to start to decide the tie tomorrow.”
Simeone, meanwhile, is trying to keep a lid on things: “It’s extraordinary that Atletico Madrid is in a Champions League semi final again after nine years. There’s no pressure. There’s responsibility. There is the excitement of being close to a huge goal that the club has never achieved.”
TEAM NEWS EZE FIT, HAVERTZ OUT, LOOKMAN DOUBTFUL
Ebere Eze came off after scoring the winner against Newcastle on Saturday but is fine to travel. Kai Havertz? Not so lucky, he misses the trip after also going off in that game.
Riccardo Calafiori trained before the flight and could be involved. Jurrien Timber is out. Mikel Merino remains sidelined with his foot injury.
For Atletico, Ademola Lookman missed Saturday’s win over Bilbao with a muscle strain but has declared himself fit. Julian Alvarez is also available after a thigh problem kept him out of the previous three games. But Simeone has cast doubt on Lookman’s fitness, mind games or genuine?
Pablo Barrios is out with a hamstring injury. David Hancko could return from an ankle problem. Jose Gimenez is also striving to be fit.
TALKING TACTICS, GOALS, GAPS AND SET PIECE DANGER
Adrian Clarke sums it up nicely. Simeone loves a 4-4-2 one of the few top level coaches who still does. But forget the defensive grit of old. This Atleti side are adventurous. Attacking. They’ve scored in all 14 European matches this season but conceded in 13 of them.
Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sorloth and the evergreen Antoine Griezmann lead the line. Lookman, if fit, is a livewire off the left. He caused Barcelona all sorts of problems in the quarter final.
Defensively, Atleti press like demons, they lead the Champions League in tackles won, interceptions, and duels won. But there are gaps. Big ones. Barcelona created seven big chances against them at the Metropolitano, with spaces left behind a high line a recurring theme.
Only Qarabag and Real Madrid have faced more shots than Atleti this season. Arsenal will get chances.
FACTS AND STATS
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last six away Champions League games, their longest streak since September 2006.
Atletico have won only one of their last six Champions League matches against English opponents (D1 L4) a 5-2 home win over Spurs last month. But here’s the kicker: they’ve never lost at home to an English side in a Champions League knockout match. Six different opponents. Six different results.
Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Atleti in the league phase back in October was the Spaniard’s joint heaviest defeat in the competition.
David Raya has kept eight clean sheets this season. One more and he’ll join Edouard Mendy, Keylor Navas and Santiago Canizares as the only keepers to hit nine in a single campaign.
Marcos Llorente has scored five goals against English sides in the Champions League, more than against all other nations combined (4).
MATCH OFFICIALS
It’s Danny Makkelie, the Dutch policeman who refereed Arsenal’s 4-2 Europa League semi final win over Valencia in 2019. He also oversaw England’s World Cup semi final win over Denmark in 2022.
Makkelie fronts an all Dutch team, just as he did for Arsenal’s last 16 second leg against Bayer Leverkusen last month.
Referee: Danny Makkelie
VAR: Dennis Higler
PREVIOUS MEETINGS, THAT 4-0 DRUBBING
Back in October, Atleti came to the Emirates for a league phase encounter. They left on the end of a 4-0 hiding. Viktor Gyokeres bagged a brace. Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli also scored. Arsenal cruised.
But this is the knockout stage. And Atletico at home? That’s a different beast entirely.
The only other European semi final between these two came in the 2017/18 Europa League. Arsenal took a 1-1 draw to Spain after Griezmann cancelled out Lacazette’s opener. Diego Costa settled it in the second leg.
History won’t mean a thing when that whistle blows.
LIVE COVERAGE
Arsenal.com and the official app will have build up from an hour before kick off, with Nicole Holliday and Jeremie Aliadiere pitchside at the Metropolitano. Frimmy is doing a stadium tour. Should be a laugh.
The main event? That starts at 8pm. Don’t blink.