Wednesday night will see Atletico Madrid host Arsenal, as the two sides meet for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. Neither side have played more Champions League matches than Atletico Madrid and Arsenal, without ever winning the competition.
The hosts arrive at this game off the back of three consecutive matches that ended 3-2, though they won only one of them.
However, manager Diego Simeone had once again heavily rotated his side in the matches leading up to this tie, like how he did for their second leg clash against Barcelona in the previous round.
Prior to that match, Atletico had been unbeaten in 21 UEFA knockout matches, and though they did lose that game 2-1, their performance in the first leg was enough to see them through to this stage.
Arsenal will travel to the Spanish Capital having briefly lost their position at the head of the English Premier League table.
Back-to-back losses over Bournemouth and Manchester City saw the latter rival leapfrog the Gunners into pole position, where they remained until Arsenal’s recent win over Newcastle.
City were in FA Cup action, however, meaning that Arsenal’s fate still lies in the hands of others.
Manager Mikel Arteta’s side are the only side yet to lose a Champions League match this season, having gone flawless in the League Phase and unbeaten in both knockout ties versus Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting.
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What are the best bets for Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal?
Arsenal defeated their Spanish hosts 4-0 earlier in this competition, but expect this match to be a very different affair.
These two sides play football in a very similar manner, in that both sides do what they have to in order to win the game.
They are both very efficient and set up in a way that will try to frustrate their opponent, with neither side looking to take the game to their rivals.
Kai Havertz’s 91st-minute winner in Portugal proved Arsenal’s only goal across the two-legged tie with Sporting, whilst Atletico are known for pragmatism and efficiency.
With that in mind, I am going to suggest backing under 2.5 goals in this game, which may seem a bit odd given what is at stake.
Arsenal managed only one goal against a very poor Newcastle side on Saturday, but they continued to boast the best defensive record in the Premier League.
If you insist on picking a result, then I would suggest a draw, as though Arsenal’s inevitable Premier League bottle job is in full swing, their European form can not be knocked.
I can very much see this tie going all the way to extra time and penalties at the Emirates Stadium.
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Where can I watch Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal?
Viewers in the United States can watch this match live on CBS, Paramount+, Fubo TV, TUDN USA, Univision, and ViX. Kick off is at 15:00 EST on Wednesday, April 29.
TNT Sports is the place to see this match live in the United Kingdom. Kick off is at 20:00 BST.
What is Atletico Madrid’s current form?
L-L-L-L-W
What is Arsenal’s current form?
W-L-D-L-W
What were the results of the last five head-to-head matches between Atletico Madrid and Arsenal?
21/10/25 – Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid (UCL – League Phase)
26/07/18 – Atletico Madrid 1-1 (2-1 pens) Arsenal (Friendly)
03/05/18 – Atletico Madrid 1-0 Arsenal (UEL – SF: 2nd leg)
26/04/18 – Arsenal 1-1 Atletico Madrid (UEL – SF: 1st leg)
01/08/09 – Arsenal 2-1 Atletico Madrid (Friendly)
What is Atletico Madrid’s predicted team?
Musso – Molina, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggeri – Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Mendoza – Griezmann, Sorloth
Injured: Barrios, Gimenez
What is Arsenal’s predicted team?
Raya – Mosquera, Gabriel, Saliba, Hincapie – Rice, Zubimendi – Madueke, Eze, Martinelli – Gyokeres
Injured: Havertz, Timber, Merino
Doubt: Calafiori
