Key events
“Right,” Justin Kavanagh states, “let’s hope for a quiet 0-0 draw tonight, featuring impeccable defending and an abundance of safe, secure sideways passing. My aging heart cannot endure another evening of intense palpitations and thrills like yesterday’s. And as for Mikel Arteta’s heart rate, well, if he had been coaching either team last night, I would genuinely worry for his health today.”
David Hytner
Martin Ødegaard acknowledges that Arsenal will face ongoing criticism until they shed their reputation as perennial bridesmaids, but he is confident the club is ready to change that narrative this season.
The captain presented a composed front on the eve of Wednesday night’s Champions League semi-final first leg in Madrid, affirming that he and his teammates are prepared to internalize past lessons and deliver much-awaited silverware.
While Ødegaard specifically referred to last season’s Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain, his comments likely also encompassed the Premier League runner-up finishes in each of the three preceding years. Arsenal currently sits atop the table, pursuing their first league title since 2004.
“It will always persist until we secure a win, and that’s a reality we must accept,” Ødegaard remarked. “We must draw upon all our collective experiences and the lessons learned, applying them constructively. It’s an inherent part of football and our ongoing journey.”
Atletico is historically characterized as a disciplined, pragmatic squad, though their playing identity has evolved somewhat in recent years. This season, their 14 Champions League fixtures have collectively yielded an astonishing 60 goals.
Conversely, Arsenal’s matches have been considerably tighter, particularly regarding their defensive record. Across 12 games, they have scored 27 goals while conceding a mere 5.
Players carrying a yellow card
None. All accumulated yellow cards are reset for the semi-final stage.
Sid Lowe
As the final training session commenced before their most pivotal game in a decade, Atlético Madrid’s players assembled by the centre circle at the Metropolitano, awaiting their coach. Diego Simeone entered, jogging through their ranks from Juan Musso and Jan Oblak to Antoine Griezmann and Ademola Lookman. As he passed, head down, they cheered and playfully struck him – though not quite with the same force they reserve for a teammate’s turn. The celebratory gauntlet was run, and applause reverberated around the empty stadium. “Happy birthday, mister,” they exclaimed.
Simeone marked his 56th birthday on Tuesday. He has dedicated nearly two decades of those years to this club: initially as the captain who secured the double, then as the coach who lifted Atlético’s subsequent league title, 18 years later. Now, he guides them into his fourth and their seventh European Cup semi-final, nine years after their last. What does one give the man who seemingly has everything? “You simply cannot imagine the exhilaration of being among Europe’s four best teams,” he declared following the quarter-final. Ahead of this semi-final, he stated, “I have no specific birthday wish, only profound gratitude to be able to share this day with my three sons, my two daughters, my mother, my wife, and my lifelong friends.”
One of his sons, hidden among the spectators, was playfully striking him. On the day Simeone bid farewell to the Vicente Calderón as a player in December 2004, he carried his youngest son, two-year-old Giuliano, in his arms. Days before his return to Madrid as coach in December 2011, he paused at a cafe in Mar del Plata and, over a croissant and a glass of milk, asked eight-year-old Giuliano for his thoughts. “You’re going to coach [Radamel] Falcao?!” the boy exclaimed, his initial excitement quickly giving way to a dose of reality. “But… if it goes well, you won’t come back.”
David Hytner
This was the evening when Arsenal delivered their first emphatic statement of the season in the Champions League, clearly demonstrating their ambition to go all the way in Europe’s most glamorous competition and to forge new club history. They had welcomed Atlético Madrid in the third round of the league phase matches, and it transformed into a comprehensive showcase of Mikel Arteta’s team at its very best.
Their performance featured an unyielding defense, a relentless counter-press, formidable physicality, blistering speed and clinical ruthlessness, along with impressive set-piece efficiency. Crucially, transcending all these elements was an absolute belief in themselves. Arsenal struggled to find a breakthrough in the first half and early second half – it was a tight affair – but they maintained composure, confident that a goal was inevitable. Their eventual dominance felt absolute.
When Gabriel Magalhães finally scored in the 57th minute, it triggered a devastating offensive flurry, with Arsenal netting three more goals by the 70th minute. The game concluded with a decisive 4-0 victory, leaving Atlético battered and bruised. This late October performance and result were perfectly aligned with the strong form Arsenal had exhibited throughout the first half of the season.
Team news
Mikel Arteta makes two tactical changes, both in the attacking third, following Saturday’s tense Premier League triumph over Newcastle. Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres, who collectively netted three of the four goals during Arsenal’s emphatic earlier win against Atletico this season, step in for Eberechi Eze and the injured Kai Havertz. This forms the formidable “MGM” attacking trio – Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli – prompting our contractual obligation to include a link to a lion roaring.
Bukayo Saka is not yet fully fit for a complete 90 minutes; Riccardo Calafiori joins him on a formidable Arsenal substitutes’ bench.
Atletico implements four changes from their narrow 3-2 victory against Athletic Bilbao last weekend. Julian Alvarez, David Hancko, Johnny Cardoso and Ademola Lookman are drafted into the lineup, replacing Clement Lenglet, Pablo Barrios, Alex Baena and Alexander Sorloth.
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2) Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Cardoso, Koke, Lookman; Griezmann, Alvarez.
Subs: Musso, Esquivel, Sorloth, Mendoza, Baena, Almada, Lenglet, Molina, Vargas, Le Normand, Bonar, Julio Diaz.
Arsenal (4-3-3) Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Setford, Mosquera, Saka, Jesus, Eze, Norgaard, Trossard, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, Salmon.
Referee Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
This will be the fourth encounter between Atletico and Arsenal. Their initial two clashes occurred in the 2017-18 Europa League semi-final, where goals from Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa secured a 2-1 aggregate victory for Atleti. The most recent meeting was in the league phase of this season’s competition, a match where Arsenal demonstrated overwhelming dominance in the second half.
Preamble
History is made! Or rather, it will be tonight at 8pm BST, as Mikel Arteta’s frequently criticized Arsenal reach consecutive Champions League semi-finals for the first time in the club’s annals. While securing the Premier League or Champions League title this season remains the ultimate objective, this achievement undoubtedly marks their significant progress from being the 15th-best team in England to one of Europe’s footballing elite.
For the second year running, Arsenal’s semi-final involves arguably the two most prominent teams yet to claim the European Cup or Champions League trophy. Following Paris Saint-Germain’s triumphant win last season, Atletico steps into the spotlight, though they would contend they were already among the top contenders. Indeed, no other club has featured in more Champions League finals without ever winning the competition. On all three occasions – in 1974, 2014, and 2016 – Atleti agonizingly fell short.
Either they or Arsenal, who suffered defeat in their sole final appearance against Barcelona two decades ago, will earn another chance at glory in Budapest on May 30th. This promises to be a captivating contest between two sides widely acclaimed for their defensive prowess. We will certainly avoid any nine-goal extravaganzas tonight.
Kick off is scheduled for 8pm BST.