Arsenal host Atletico Madrid at the Emirates with a spot in the Champions League final on the line. The first leg ended in a (somewhat disappointing given the rescinded penalty) 1-1 draw in Madrid last week, so today’s match is for all the marbles. Draw away, win at home, advance. This match, more than anything, is Arsenal’s payoff for topping the League Phase table. That finish earned this second leg at home, which will be a massive boost.
Atleti squeezed every ounce out of their home leg that they
possibly could have. Their formidable, raucous home support lifted their side and seemed to influence the referee’s decisions. Just ask Declan Rice, who said as much after the match and drew the ire of UEFA for his comments. There were questions about the length of the grass at the Metropolitano, suggestions that the prescribed watering schedule was not followed, and reports that the two halves of the pitch were watered differently at halftime.
The visitors won’t have those little (or perhaps not so little) edges at the Emirates. Instead, Arsenal will have their supporters in full voice. There are already videos and images circulating on social media of Arsenal fans showing their support in the streets well before kickoff. North London is rocking and it’s only going to get louder.
As far as on pitch stuff goes, the first leg draw means we’re likely to see more of the same tactics from both sides. The question is which half from Madrid will we see — the first, where Arsenal were in control, or the second, where Atleti surged before the Gunners wrested things back. The visitors will once again pick their spots to press high and hard and will also look to spring their pacey, skilled attackers into space with longer balls and quick-developing attacks.
Even if Arsenal play mostly the same way, they should be better at doing it with Bukayo Saka back in the lineup. The star winger looked fit, sharp, and explosive against Fulham en route to a goal and an assist. Don’t overlook Riccardo Calafiori’s contributions, either. The Italian fullback also missed the first leg, and his surges forward could unbalance and overload the Atleti defense.
Myles Lewis-Skelly retains his place in midfield, which is a big call from Mikel Arteta. The 19-year old was excellent against a somewhat depleted Fulham side. Atletico Madrid in a Champions League semifinal will be an entirely different beast.
Mikel Arteta declared both Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz available for today’s match. It’s unclear whether either is fit enough to start, but it’s better to have them than not. My gut says Ødegaard might be able to play 50-60 minutes while Havertz will be limited to an impact sub but that’s based on nothing more than guesswork. Jurrien Timber is back doing some work on the grass, but it seems as if he’s not terribly close to returning — maybe he’ll be back for the last match or two of the season and the CL final, if Arsenal advance today. The same goes for Mikel Merino on an even more pushed-out timeline.
Atleti will be without Pablo Barrios and Nico Gonzalez, both of whom missed the first leg. Julian Alvarez has been playing through injuries and left the first leg in clear discomfort — he’ll play but likely not the entire match and probably not at full effectiveness. Marcos Llorente and David Hancko, who were left out of the side entirely at the weekend, are good to go.
Simeone heavily rotated his team in La Liga, so his players should be decently rested. Fortunately, Arsenal were able to throttle back after taking a 3-0 halftime lead against Fulham, so they’ll be fresher than they would have been if the match had been closer. Bukayo Saka, who did not play in the first leg, only played 45 minutes at the weekend, none of Declan Rice, Viktor Gyokeres, nor Ebere Eze played a full 90 minutes. Martin Zubimendi came off the bench in the second half, presumably to keep sharp.
Fatigue is always a factor at this stage of the season, but it likely won’t be as influential as it could have been. That’s a plus for Arsenal vis-a-vis Atleti. Had things gone different in the Premier League, the Spanish side might have had a meaningful edge.
Arsenal – Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Saka, Eze, Trossard, Gyokeres
Atleti – Oblak, Pubill, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri, Simeone, Koke, Llorente, Lookman, Griezmann, Alvarez
WHO: Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid
WHAT: Champions League SF 2nd leg (1-1 agg.)
WHERE: The Emirates Stadium
WHEN: Tuesday, May 5th 12:00pm PT | 3:00pm ET | 8:00pm GMT
US TV: Streaming on Paramount+
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