It’s all on the line at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, as Arsenal host Atlético Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal, as the Gunners attempt to make their first final in the competition since 2006.
The first leg in Madrid finished 1-1 last week, with a penalty each from Viktor Gyökeres and Julián Álvarez in a competitive match. Atlético rested a bulk of their first-team players in Saturday’s LaLiga game, which they won 2-0 against Valencia.
Arsenal, meanwhile, had no such luxury, as they continue to be in the middle of a title race in the Premier League. They were superb in a 3-0 win against Fulham, in what was their most cohesive attacking performance in a while. That is something they will aim to repeat, against an Atlético side that, at times, can be vulnerable at the back.
This is Atlético’s second trip to the Emirates this season, following a 4-0 defeat in the league phase in October.
Here’s everything you need to know about Tuesday’s game.
How to watch:
The match will be shown on Amazon Prime Video in the UK, CBS Sports in the U.S., SonyLiv in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates.
Key Details:
Kick-off time: Tuesday, May 6 at 8:00 p.m. BST (3:00 p.m. ET; 12:30 a.m. IST, Wednesday and 5:00 a.m. AEST, Wednesday).
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London.
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (Germany)
Injury and Team News:
Atlético Madrid
Jose Gimenez, D: muscle, OUT
Pablo Barrios, M: thigh, OUT
Arsenal
Jurriën Timber, D: knock, OUT
Kai Havertz, F: knock, OUT
Mikel Merino, M: foot, OUT
Talking Points:
Saka is key for Arsenal
2:45
Hislop: Bukayo Saka was outstanding vs. Fulham
ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop has praised Bukayo Saka’s performance in Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Fulham in the Premier League.
Back in the starting XI at the weekend against Fulham, Bukayo Saka was at his influential best for Arsenal. He set up the first goal, then scored the second himself, and was an absolute menace throughout that first half, after which he was taken off to save him for this game.
Saka makes a world of difference to the Arsenal attack. He links better with those around him than Noni Madueke has shown he can. He’s also a better dribbler, better passer, and better shooter than Madueke. So, once that game was settled with a 3-0 half-time lead, it made perfect sense for Mikel Arteta to take Saka off to keep him fresh for this one.
Matteo Ruggeri, Atlético’s left-back, is certain to face a really tough examination on Tuesday night.
How will Simeone set up?
In the first leg, Simeone switched from a back four to a back three at half-time, and that gave Atlético the platform to be, arguably, the better side in the second half. That substitution saw Robin Le Normand come on to replace Giuliano Simeone. Le Normand partnered Marc Pubill and Dávid Hancko at the back, and instantly improved Atlético.
They did get outnumbered in the midfield in that first half, with Koke and Johnny Cardoso struggling to deal with Declan Rice, Martín Zubimendi and Martin Odegaard.
Should Simeone decide to set up similarly to that second half, then he will likely opt to start Le Normand ahead of his son.
Confident Gyökeres can make a difference
With three goals in his last two games, Gyökeres is really showing signs of stepping up to the plate when Arsenal need him the most. He put away his penalty with aplomb in that first leg, having won it himself when he drew a poor challenge from Hancko.
His brace against Fulham came through fairly routine finishes for a striker. But those finishes were only routine because his movement and positioning ensured he was in the right place at the right time. Encouragingly for Arteta, that Fulham game saw Gyökeres link up really well with Saka, something that had been missing for a lot of the season, and which was one of the reasons why Arteta preferred Havertz to the Swede.
Can Griezmann and Álvarez crash the Emirates party?
Whether Atlético line up with three, four or five at the back, their attack will rely heavily on, as usual, Antoine Griezmann and Julian Álvarez. Álvarez scored Atlético’s only goal of the first leg with a penalty, and in general, was the side’s biggest threat in the game.
All that threat came through dovetailing with Griezmann, who really did play well in that first leg, especially in the second half. The veteran Frenchman is no stranger to these big occasions with Atlético, and will once again have to be at his best for Simeone.
What do the numbers say?
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Arsenal have lost only one of their last 15 home matches in European competition against Spanish clubs.
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Arsenal are the only unbeaten team remaining in this season’s Champions League.
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Arsenal have won six of their previous nine European ties when they’ve drawn the first leg away from home.
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Atlético have won only two of their last 13 games against English teams in European competition.
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Atlético have won 11 of their 15 previous two-legged ties against English teams in European competition.
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Atlético have never scored more than the 35 goals they’ve scored in this Champions League season.