Atletico Madrid will host Arsenal in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal tie at the Wanda Metropolitano on Tuesday night. The match, scheduled for a 21:00 local time kick-off, will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video. This marks a significant return to the latter stages of European competition for both clubs, with Arsenal reaching their first semifinal since 2009 and Atletico aiming to return to the final for the first time since 2016.
Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid advanced to this stage by defeating Barcelona in a Spanish derby at the quarterfinal stage. Their path was secured by a narrow aggregate victory over Sporting Lisbon in the previous round, demonstrating the resilient, tactical style synonymous with the Argentine manager. Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta, overcame a tightly contested two-legged affair against Bayern Munich to set up this trip to the Spanish capital, signaling their continued progress under the former club captain.
According to the published team news, Atletico Madrid are expected to line up in a 4-4-2 formation. Jan Oblak will start in goal behind a defense featuring Nahuel Molina, Marc Pubill, Robin Le Normand, and Tomas Angel Ruggeri. The midfield is set to consist of Giuliano Simeone, captain Koke, Marcos Llorente, and Ademola Lookman, with Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez leading the attack. The squad lists Gimenez and Rodrigo De Paul as unavailable.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are predicted to deploy a 4-2-3-1 system. David Raya is the chosen goalkeeper, with a back four of Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Piero Hincapie. The holding midfield duo is slated to be Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice, supporting an attacking line of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli. Viktor Gyokeres is the projected lone striker. The Gunners will be without the services of the injured Mikel Merino, Jurrien Timber, and Kai Havertz.
The officiating team will be led by Dutch referee Danny Makkelie, assisted by Hessel Steegstra and Jan de Vries. Pol van Boekel will serve as the video assistant referee, with fellow Dutch official Allard Lindhout acting as the assistant VAR. The winner of this two-legged tie will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the final at Wembley Stadium on June 1st.
