Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal: Champions League – team news, start, lineups

Sport|FootballAtletico Madrid vs Arsenal: Champions League – team news, start, lineupsSpanish giants Atletico host Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Metropolitano Stadium for their semifinal first leg.ListenListen (7 mins)SaveClick here to share on social mediashare-nodesSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoArsenal's Bukayo Saka under pressure from Atletico's Koke during the teams' league-stage football match in October, which the Gunners won 4-0 [Shaun Botterill/Getty Images]By Al Jazeera Staff and APPublished On 28 Apr 202628 Apr 2026Who: Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal What: Champions League semifinal, first leg Where: Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain When: Wednesday, April 29 at 9pm (19:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.Arsenal’s record as the only unbeaten football team in this season’s Champions League will be tested in the intense atmosphere of the Metropolitano Stadium.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Dynamic pricing adding to ‘dystopian’ 2026 World Cup, ex-Liverpool CEO sayslist 2 of 4Injured Salah has played his last game for Liverpool: Egypt team officiallist 3 of 4Barcelona on the brink of defending La Liga title after beating Getafelist 4 of 4Prize money for World Cup, fees for all 48 teams to be increased: FIFAend of listThe Gunners have conceded just five goals in 12 games so far, the kind of record associated with Atletico during coach Diego Simeone’s long reign of feisty football.But this is a more expansive Atletico side, with a surprising 26 goals conceded in 14 Champions League games this season, while Julian Alvarez has scored nine of the 34 scored at the other end.The two teams have already faced off this season, but Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Atletico in October in the league stage feels a long time ago. A four-goal burst in 15 second-half minutes, including two from Viktor Gyokeres, showed a freedom that Mikel Arteta’s team has found hard to recapture in a tense second half of the season.Arsenal have endured a rocky patch recently – losing to Man City in the League Cup final, and in a key league game – but maintain a three-point lead at the top of the table, although City have a game in hand.The hosts, meanwhile, are fourth in La Liga, and the Champions League represents their last hope of silverware this season after defeat in last weekend’s Copa del Rey final. Advertisement Atletico’s path to the semifinals has been taking first-leg leads – ambushing Tottenham at home then winning at Barcelona – before riding out severe pressure in the return game. That will be in London on Tuesday next week.The winners will face either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in the final in Budapest on May 30. What have the managers said?Atleti coach Diego Simeone said, “We’re heading into the semifinals with all our enthusiasm and all our faith. We know our strengths and our weaknesses. We have great confidence in what we do. We’re ready, and we’re going to go after what we’ve been chasing for many years.”Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said, “It’s a massive moment [to reach consecutive semi-finals]. It’s the first time in our history, in 140 years – to be part of those four teams is something very special. You have to earn it. You have to go through a lot of work.”What have the players said?Atleti forward Antoine Griezmann said, “It doesn’t matter who we face as long as we’re still in it.…

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