Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has warned that his unbeaten side will aim to dominate Atletico Madrid in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg at Estadio Metropolitano. Atletico, under Diego Simeone, advanced by beating Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate and hold a club-record goals tally in the competition. Kick-off is at 8:00pm BST.
Arsenal reached the semi-finals for the second straight season after a 1-0 aggregate win over Sporting Lisbon, remaining the only unbeaten team in the tournament. Arteta, speaking ahead of the clash in Spain, highlighted recent momentum from a 1-0 Premier League victory over Newcastle. 'You’re going to see a team that wants to be dominant, that wants to win it, and that wants to start to decide the tie tomorrow,' Arteta said. He added that the squad feels confident and privileged to be back in the last four after last season's semi-final loss to PSG. Arsenal boast a strong record against Spanish sides, winning their last seven Champions League matches against them, and have lost just one of their last 11 away games in the competition. Atletico, who lost 4-0 to Arsenal earlier this season, have scored in their last 12 matches across all competitions but struggle against English teams, winning only two of their last 12 such European encounters. Simeone acknowledged the challenge: 'We are going to face a tough game with a very good opponent.' Injuries could impact both sides: Atletico miss Pablo Barrios and Jose Gimenez, with doubts over Ademola Lookman, David Hancko and Julian Alvarez; Arsenal are without Mikel Merino and Jurrien Timber, and face fitness checks for Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi. The match airs live on TNT Sports and discovery+ in the UK.
