Madrid, April 28, 2026, 22:01 CEST
Arsenal will try to move within one match of only their second Champions League final when they face Atletico Madrid in Wednesday’s semi-final first leg in Madrid, with Mikel Arteta’s side unbeaten in Europe and Diego Simeone’s team chasing its only remaining route to a trophy this season.
The timing matters. Neither club has won the European Cup or Champions League, and this tie, decided over two legs, gives one of them a path to the May 30 final in Budapest against Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich. Atletico have lost three finals; Arsenal’s only final appearance was a 2-1 defeat by Barcelona in 2006.
UEFA lists the first leg for Wednesday at the Estadio Metropolitano, with the return at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on May 5. Atletico are back in the last four after nine seasons, while Arsenal are in consecutive Champions League semi-finals for the first time.
Arteta said Arsenal would “grab it with both hands” after reaching a second straight semi-final, a year after losing to eventual winners PSG. He told reporters the 1-0 Premier League win over Newcastle had given his players fresh energy, and said the team wanted to start deciding the tie in Madrid. Reuters
Simeone pushed back on the idea that Atletico carry a burden after past final defeats. “There’s no pressure,” he said, calling it instead “a sense of responsibility,” and added that “a competition doesn’t owe anyone anything.” Reuters
The numbers point to a tight, awkward match rather than a clean rerun of Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Atletico in the league phase in October. UEFA said Atletico have scored 34 goals in this season’s competition, their best European Cup or Champions League total, while Arsenal have conceded five in 12 matches.
History cuts both ways. Atletico have won 11 of 15 previous two-legged UEFA ties against English clubs, including all three semi-finals, but Arsenal have won their last seven Champions League matches against Spanish opposition and remain the only unbeaten team in this season’s competition.
Opta Analyst’s model underlined the narrow first-leg call: Arsenal won 37% of pre-match simulations, Atletico 35%, with draws at 27.9%. The same model put Arsenal’s chance of reaching the final at 72%, but those numbers do not remove the risk of a Madrid first leg shaped by set pieces, transitions and one mistake.
Team news could shift the edge. Al Jazeera reported Atletico midfielder Pablo Barrios is set to miss the game with a thigh injury, while Ademola Lookman may return from a knock; for Arsenal, Kai Havertz is a doubt, Martin Zubimendi faces a late check, Riccardo Calafiori is a major doubt, Jurrien Timber is still working back from a groin issue and Mikel Merino is unavailable after ankle surgery.
Atletico reached the semi-finals after eliminating Club Brugge, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona, the club said. Arsenal beat Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting CP after finishing first in the league phase, which gave Arteta’s side one fewer knockout tie to play.
The domestic backdrop is uneven. Atletico beat Athletic Club 3-2 at the weekend but sit well back in LaLiga, while Arsenal’s win over Newcastle left them leading the Premier League by three points over Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Martin Odegaard called Wednesday “the opportunity to do something special,” while UEFA quoted Atletico captain Koke as saying the days before the match carried a “nervous feeling.” That is about where the tie sits: Arsenal with form in Europe, Atletico with the ground, the history and enough scars to make the first 90 minutes difficult. Uefa
