Arsenal will be looking to reach the final of the Uefa Champions League for the first time since 2006, when the Emirates Stadium was commissioned, as they face Atletico Madrid in the UCL match on Tuesday night.
In what might be the biggest night in the history of Emirates Stadium, Mikel Arteta will guide Arsenal to the Uefa Champions League 2025/26 semi final second leg against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday 5 May, 2026 at 20:00 (WAT).
Both sides finished 1-1 in the first leg at Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid City last Wednesday, with Viktor Gyökeres and Julian Alvarez netting from the penalty spot for their respective sides.
Whoever wins in North London will be heading to Budapest in Hungary for the final to lock horns with either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germaine (PSG).
According to arsenal.com, Arteta said, the Gunners are “hungry to go through to the final”. He disclosed, German forward, Kai Havertz; and Norwegian midfielder, Martin Odegaard, will be part of the sqaud for the game. Both players have been missing in action recently due to injuries.
Jurriem Timber and Mikel Merino will not be available as they suffer groin and foot issues respectively.
In their pre-match comments, both managers said:
Arssnal manager Mikel Arteta…
“I can’t wait. I feel the energy in and amongst the team and our supporters, so these are the moments that we want to live together. We had a lot of work as a club, as a team, after 20 years to be in this position again, and we are so hungry to get a game that we want tomorrow and go through to the final.
“How tough is it to be in the position that we are in? Our history tells us. The level of every team and the competition shows every day that being here deserves a lot of credit to everybody that is involved. We know where we want to be.”
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone…
“It’s nothing more than a football match, and whoever plays better will have a better chance of winning. Within that, each team has our own strengths, and we’ll do our thing to try to make the most of our strengths, and I’m sure the Arsenal coach will try to maximise theirs.
“I’m going to try to tell the team to play like they did in the second half. Let’s see. If it’s that easy, it would be great. We have a lot of faith in what we’re doing. We’re convinced and confident about what we want to achieve in the match, and then, obviously, the result won’t depend solely on us.”
For Atletico Madrid, Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sorloth and Giuliano Simeone were rested for the La Liga game on Saturday for the crucial game against tried English hosts.
Central midfielder Pablo Barrios remains out with a hamstring injury.
Photos: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta | Atletico Madrid Diego Simeone | ARSENAL FC
