Arsenal will face Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. The tie stands at 1-1 after penalties decided the first leg in Madrid. A spot in the Budapest final is at stake.
The match is scheduled for 8:00pm BST at Arsenal's home ground in North London. Arsenal earned a slight edge by avoiding defeat away, despite a late VAR decision going against them in the 1-1 draw. Mikel Arteta’s team remains unbeaten in this season’s Champions League and boasts a strong home record against Spanish sides, including a 4-0 league-phase win over Atletico. They have lost just one of their last 15 European home games versus Spanish opposition and aim for their first final in 20 years. Atletico, managed by Diego Simeone, arrives fully focused on the competition after securing domestic aims. They progressed from six of their last 10 European ties following a home-leg draw but have conceded at least twice in seven of their last 10 away matches. A recent 2-0 win over Valencia came with a rotated squad to keep players fresh. Arsenal expects Bukayo Saka to be available after a precautionary withdrawal, with Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz under assessment. Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino are out, but Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie could start. For Atletico, Julian Alvarez is fit, Marcos Llorente and Giuliano Simeone are set to return, though Jose Gimenez is a doubt and Pablo Barrios and Nico Gonzalez are ruled out. Expected line-ups are: Arsenal - Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Rice, Zubimendi; Saka, Eze, Trossard; Gyokeres. Atletico - Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Koke, Cardoso, Lookman; Alvarez, Griezmann. The game will air live on TNT Sports and discovery+ in the UK.
