Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has explained what his team must do to beat Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg tie. Atletico Madrid will host Arsenal at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, before the second leg at the Emirates Stadium in London.
Historic Opportunity for Both Clubs
Arsenal and Atletico Madrid are both dreaming of reaching the final, where they would compete for their first-ever title in the competition. Both sides are the only teams left in the competition yet to win it. Arsenal reached the final in 2006 and lost to Barcelona, while Atletico lost to Real Madrid in 2014 and 2017. The Gunners have reached the semi-final for the second consecutive season in their history, while Atletico Madrid are playing their fourth under Diego Simeone.
The Premier League side won when the two sides met earlier in the competition's group stage this season, thrashing the La Liga side 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta Lays Down Victory Tactics
Both sides are keen to win the first leg and have an advantage heading into the second leg on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in London. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has made it clear to his team what they must do to overcome their opponent away from home and have an edge in the second leg.
"Every opponent and in every context, whether it's the stadium, the opponent, the manner that they play, have differences," he said as quoted by arsenal.com. "There are things that obviously have to be highlighted, whether it's their strengths or their weaknesses as well, and especially against [Atleti], there are moments in games, and we have to manage that so well to be successful and win the game."
The Spaniard highlighted five key traits that make Simeone's side very strong: togetherness, energy, belief, experience and the ability to level up. Simeone reiterated two of the observations Arteta raised when talking about his team's biggest weapon heading into the semi-final game.
"What we've been doing in the knockout rounds we've had, whether in the Copa del Rey or the Champions League," he said as quoted by Into the Calderon. "Playing with that intensity, playing our style of play, with our attacking intent, with that initiative the team has offensively, and we'll go from there."
Match Expectations
Fans are not expecting lots of goals and fireworks as PSG and Bayern Munich showed in their nine-goal thriller, but expect a conservative and cagey match between Arsenal and Atletico. A mysterious cat named Nimbus Pronos predicted the outcome of the UEFA Champions League match between Atletico Madrid and Arsenal, having correctly predicted a win for PSG over Bayern Munich.
