Arsenal vs Atletico – News and Probable Lineups

On Tuesday evening, either Arsenal or Atletico Madrid will fulfill their Budapest dreams as they clash in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final at the Emirates Stadium.

The first leg last week, filled with three penalties, concluded in a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital, giving Mikel Arteta’s squad a slight edge as they approach their most significant European match in twenty years.

Match overview

Arsenal would have considered a win, draw, or even a narrow loss acceptable at the Metropolitano Stadium last week, so a two-goal tie seemed like a good outcome on the surface, though a sense of frustration was tangible among Gunners fans when the final whistle blew.

Both Viktor Gyokeres and Julian Alvarez successfully converted penalties around half-time, but Arteta was left “furious” when a second penalty for his team was revoked following a VAR review, during which his counterpart, Diego Simeone, was animatedly gesturing behind referee Danny Makkelie.

Only Makkelie and his technology team can clarify if the Eberechi Eze-David Hancko incident met the ‘clear and obvious’ standard, but despite the controversy, not suffering a defeat on the road in the first leg of a Champions League semi-final is still commendable.

Remaining unbeaten in the 2025-26 Champions League, Arsenal has the chance to set a new club record for the longest unbeaten run in the tournament (14 matches) if they break their 20-year wait for a final appearance, and recent performances both in Europe and domestically suggest that Arteta’s side can achieve this.

Indeed, Arsenal recorded two victories from their last three fixtures with a comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham – albeit a Fulham side affected by illness – on Saturday, pulling six points ahead of Manchester City in the Premier League thanks to one of their most dynamic displays in recent times.

Moreover, just one of Arsenal’s last 15 UEFA home matches against Spanish teams has ended in defeat – that being a 2-0 loss to Barcelona in the 2015-16 round of 16 – and it’s been slightly over six months since Arsenal defeated Atletico 4-0 during the league stage.

The 4-0 drubbing sparked a resurgence for the visitors this week, who quickly went on to claim seven consecutive wins across various competitions, boosting their La Liga title aspirations, but another trophyless season looms if Simeone’s side cannot rectify their mistakes from the Emirates encounter.

Atletico have already been dealt the disappointment of losing the Copa del Rey final to Real Sociedad and have little to fight for domestically, having secured a top-four finish in La Liga while Barcelona approaches the title.

Simeone was thus able to make a complete 11 changes for Saturday’s league match against Valencia, yet even Atletico’s second string – bolstered by Koke and Antoine Griezmann in the second half – emerged with a 2-0 victory.

Matching Arsenal’s win-draw-win trajectory in their last three matches, Los Rojiblancos seem to have rediscovered their winning form at a crucial moment following a dismal run in the spring that saw seven losses in eight contests between March 18 and April 22.

Atletico have also succeeded in six of their last ten European two-legged ties when the first leg at home ended in a draw, and a showdown with Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain awaits Simeone’s team—who previously overcame Arsenal in the 2017-18 Europa League semi-finals—if they can once again crush red and white hearts.

Team News

Bukayo Saka had a goal and an assist in the first half against Fulham before being substituted at half-time, but the withdrawal was a precaution with Tuesday’s fixture in mind.

Arteta is also hopeful that Martin Odegaard (knee) and Kai Havertz (muscle) will be fit for Tuesday’s encounter, though Jurrien Timber (groin) and Mikel Merino (foot) will be sidelined.

Myles Lewis-Skelly shone in midfield during a rare start on Saturday, but a well-rested Martin Zubimendi is expected to return to the starting XI, along with Piero Hincapie over Riccardo Calafiori at left-back.

Meanwhile, Atletico experienced a significant scare in the first leg when Alvarez limped off in the second half, but tests have ruled out any serious injury for the Argentine, who is anticipated to spearhead the attack in North London.

Alvarez remarkably broke a record previously held by Lionel Messi in the first leg by becoming the fastest Argentine to reach the 25-goal mark in the Champions League, achieving it in 41 games; Messi needed 42.

Giuliano Simeone, Marcos Llorente, Alexander Sorloth, and Hancko were also spared at the weekend, but Jose Gimenez (unspecified) is a more significant doubt, while Pablo Barrios (thigh) and Nico Gonzalez (thigh) are ruled out.

Arsenal probable starting XI:

Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Rice, Zubimendi; Saka, Eze, Trossard; Gyokeres

Atletico Madrid probable starting XI:

Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Koke, Cardoso, Lookman; Alvarez, Griezmann

Arsenal did not have the luxury of resting 11 players against Fulham as Atletico did, but they could arguably benefit from it, with Saka getting an excellent 45 minutes under his belt and Viktor Gyokeres scoring a confidence-boosting brace.

Confronted with an Atletico team known for its shaky defence away from home, having allowed at least two goals in seven of their last ten away games, Arteta’s revitalized attack could propel the Gunners to the Champions League final.