Key events
Pennant Watch. There’s nothing wrong, in and of itself, with the commemorative gift stand-in captain Bukayo Saka will hand over to his opposite number Koke. But that badge. Come on, man. Stand it next to the time-honoured Victoria Concodria Crescit crest and weep. And that’s before we get to the stratospherically sexy Art Deco A-football-C logo. Ever since that fateful rebrand, Herbert Chapman has been spinning elegantly in his grave, nearly a quarter of a century on.
Atletico Madrid’s offering, however, is a thing of timeless beauty. Enrique Collar would have been proud to hand that over. Arsenal are favourites to go through tonight, but they’ve lost this very important pre-match skirmish.
Mikel Arteta, barely able to suppress an excited grin, speaks to TNT Sports. “I have never seen an atmosphere like this … when we entered the stadium … great to see … enthusiasm … [Myles Lewis-Skelly] has played many times in [midfield] … he is very flexible … we need to be very adaptable … very aggressive with the ball … I hope [Bukayo Saka] can maintain the form he showed a few days ago and help us win the game … [Atletico] can manage moments in games … we have prepared … referee decisions are out of our control, let’s hope this time they can get it right … let’s go for it, let’s do it!”
Atleti’s big worry was the fitness of Julian Alvarez – but the former Manchester City striker starts. He had been taken off with an injured ankle during the first leg, and missed the game at Valencia at the weekend. His first-leg equaliser made him the first Atleti player to score ten goals in a single Champions League campaign, and the fastest Argentinian to 25 goals overall. He got there in 41 appearances; Lionel Messi needed 42. Atleti make just the one change from their first-leg starting XI: Robin Le Normand comes in for Johnny Cardoso, who drops to the bench.
The big news for Arsenal: Miles Lewis-Skelly is rewarded for his impressive showing in midfield against Fulham with a starting spot. His replacement of Martin Zubimendi is one of five changes from the starting line-up in Madrid: Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard also start tonight, at the expense of Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Piero Hincapié and captain Martin Ødegaard, who all drop to the bench. Kai Havertz has shaken off his injury concerns and is named as a sub.
The teams
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Rice, Lewis-Skelly, Saka, Eze, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Subs: Kepa, Setford, Mosquera, Hincapie, Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Havertz, Zubimendi, Dowman.
Atlético Madrid: Oblak, Pubill, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri, Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Lookman, Griezmann, Alvarez.
Subs: Musso, Gimenez, Mendoza, Johnny, Sorloth, Baena, Almada, Lenglet, Molina, Vargas, Bonar, Diaz.
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)
On The Buses. Both teams have arrived at the Emirates, their team buses winding their way through a crowd in full party mode on the streets of Holloway. Atleti stayed in a different hotel to the one they used for their aforementioned 4-0 thumping in October, the five-star Courthouse Hotel in Shoreditch as opposed to the four-star Marriott Hotel in Regents Park. Diego Simeone was asked about the switch, amid reports of his ordering it on the grounds of jinxing, superstition, bad luck, etc., and deadpanned: “The hotel was cheaper.” The smile he flashed seconds later suggested he wasn’t telling the whole story. Whether he was similarly smiling last night as sleep-bothering fireworks were set off near that hotel has not been reported.
Here’s some more statistical encouragement for Arsenal. They’ve lost just two of their last 23 games in the Champions League, winning 17; are unbeaten in the competition this season; and have lost just one of their last 24 home matches in Europe. Atleti by contrast have won only two of their last 13 matches against English teams, losing the last four away. But they have won six of their last seven semi-finals in Europe, a fact we add because it is possible to have too much statistical encouragement, confidence often leading to second guessing, feelings of suspicion, then finally full-blown paranoia. Even keel, everyone, even keel.
Arsenal will be buoyed by Manchester City’s failure to beat Everton last night, the holy grail of a first Premier League title in 22 years within touching distance now. But they had to use up some precious energy beating Fulham at the weekend, while Diego Simeone had the luxury of resting his entire first-choice team in seeing off Valencia, making 11 changes from the first leg. Still, if you can’t get yourself pumped up at the business end of the Champions League, when can you? And Arsenal are pumped up.
After last week’s result, both clubs have statistical history on their side. Arsenal have won six of their last nine European ties in which they’ve drawn away in the first leg, while Atleti have won six of their last ten European ties in which they’ve drawn the first leg at home. Meanwhile Arsenal are one from one in Champions League semi-finals against opposition from La Liga, having beaten Villarreal 1-0 on aggregate in 2006 … but Atleti are three from three against Premier League opponents at the same stage in European competition, beating Liverpool on away goals in the 2009-10 Europa League, Chelsea 3-1 on aggregate in the 2013-14 Champions League, and Arsenal themselves in the 2017-18 Europa League. So it turns out we are at the Something’s Got To Give stage after all.
Preamble
The two biggest names in European football never to win the continent’s biggest prize meet for a place in the final. It’s 20 years since Arsenal found themselves 14 minutes from glory, only for Barcelona to hit them with a couple of sucker punches; their continental roll of honour (one Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, one Cup Winners’ Cup) is absurdly short given the size and status of the grand old club. Atlético Madrid have made more of an imprint in Europe, with three Europa Leagues, a Cup Winners’ Cup and three Super Cups, but the big one has eluded them as well: they’ve suffered the trophy being snatched from under their nose in excruciating circumstances not just once but three times, in 1974, 2014 and 2016, insult being bundled up with injury on the latter two occasions by good old Real Madrid.
We’re not quite at the Something’s Got To Give stage, seeing this is just the semi, and whoever gets through will be strong second favourites against either Bayern Munich or PSG. But something’s got to give at some point, surely, and reaching the final is the necessary step in making that dream possible. So here we are. Atleti were the better side last week in Madrid, yet Arsenal were nevertheless a contentious penalty decision away from a priceless victory. Mikel Arteta’s men were certainly the better side when the teams met during the league phase last October, though, scoring four goals in 14 second-half minutes. So both teams will fancy their chances. Kick-off is at 8pm BST. Extra time and penalties not beyond the realms. It’s on!