Arsenal, Atletico chase history in charged Champions League semi
Baku, April 29, AZERTAC
Atletico Madrid and Arsenal meet on Wednesday in a heavyweight UEFA Champions League semifinal that pits Diego Simeone’s "coraje y corazon" against a resurgent Premier League leader chasing the greatest season in club history, Daily Sabah reports.
The first leg in Madrid sets the tone for a tie loaded with tactical intrigue, injury doubts and psychological baggage on both sides.
Arsenal arrive in the Spanish capital with the chance to turn years of "almost" into a defining breakthrough. Mikel Arteta’s side have been branded English football’s nearly men after three successive runners-up finishes in the Premier League and near-misses in Europe, including a 3-1 aggregate defeat to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s semifinals and a quarterfinal exit to Bayern Munich in 2024.
Now, just seven games separate them from what could be the club’s greatest ever campaign. They sit three points clear of Manchester City in the league, with four games left for Arsenal and five for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Meanwhile, three more wins in Europe would deliver a first-ever Champions League crown, with a potential final in Budapest against PSG or Bayern on May 30.
Captain Declan Rice insists the squad is ready for the moment. "We've played in tough games in the last three or four years at the highest level, so we know what to expect and what's to come," he said, urging teammates to embrace the pressure: "‘Bring it on.’"
However, Arteta’s preparation has been complicated by fitness issues. Mikel Merino (foot) and Jurrien Timber (ankle) remain sidelined, while the game may come too soon for Riccardo Calafiori (knock). Kai Havertz and Eberechi Eze (both muscle), along with Martin Zubimendi (illness), will be assessed after being withdrawn against Newcastle.
Eze has "insisted that he is ‘fine’ and came off as a ‘precaution’ last time out," but Arteta could still opt for rotation on the left, with Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard in contention, while Viktor Gyökeres is poised to replace Havertz up front if needed. Bukayo Saka made a strong impact off the bench against Newcastle after his own return from injury and "may be handed his first start in over a month" on the right wing.
Arsenal’s recent record against Spanish clubs offers confidence: They have won each of their last seven Champions League games against La Liga opposition and have lost just one of their last 11 away matches in the competition (W9 D1). However, they will remember that Atletico edged them 2-1 on aggregate in the 2017-18 Europa League semifinals.
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