Arsenal host Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal on Tuesday with the score locked at 1-1 after a tense first leg in Madrid last week.
Mikel Arteta’s side are the favorites to advance to just a second Champions League final in club history, but they will be extremely wary of Atletico’s penchant for thriving in the underdog role. Arsenal beat Fulham 3-0 at the weekend to stay right in the hunt for the Premier League title too, as a much-improved attacking display has given the Gunners plenty of confidence heading into this massive game.
Diego Simeone’s side are made for this kind of situation and have reached two previous Champions League finals under him, losing both to bitter rivals Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016. Almost 10 years on from their last appearance in the final, Atleti are still the stubborn, tenacious team they’ve always been under Simeone but they have more attacking power this season and will relish the role of spoilers.
For live updates and highlights throughout Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid, check out PST’s live blog coverage below.
How to watch Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid live, stream link and start time
Kick off time:3pm ET Tuesday (May 5)
Venue:Emirates Stadium — North London
TV Channel/Streaming: Paramount+
Arsenal team news, focus
Jurrien Timber remains out injured while Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are doubts. Martin Zubimendi should come back in to start in central midfield, while having Bukayo Saka back fit is huge and he will start on the right wing and provide an extra spark. Piero Hincapie is likely to come back in to start over Riccardo Calafiori at left back, while Cristhian Mosquera is pushing for a start at right back over Ben White.
Atletico Madrid team news, focus
With Champions League qualification basically wrapped up, Atleti have been resting their main players for league games for some time now and this weekend was no different as Simeone changed his entire starting lineup in the 2-0 win. Forwards Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez and Ademola Lookman are a real handful, especially on the break, and will force Arsenal to perhaps not flood forward as much. Veteran goalkeeper Jan Oblak is back fit and making a big difference, while this is a huge game for USMNT’s Johnny Cardoso in central midfield alongside captain Koke.
Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid prediction
My word, this is going to be tense. Arsenal are the favorites and will just about get over the line, but it may take extra time. Arsenal 2-1 Atletico Madrid (Arsenal win 3-2 on aggregate).