Pressure is abundant as Arsenal travel to face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals on Wednesday, live on Paramount+. Only games separate the Gunners from potentially their first UCL title in club history, but this is when they need to show something that has been lacking under Mikel Arteta: mental strength down the stretch. For a coach who has stressed mental acuity, everything is at risk of crashing down around the Gunners at this critical stage of the season, once contenders for four trophies and now possibly looking at trophy-less campaign.
How to watch Atletico Madrid vs. Arsenal, odds
- Date: Wednesday, April 29 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Riyadh Air Metropolitano — Madrid, Spain
- TV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Atletico Madrid +180; Draw +225; Arsenal +160
They’ve already seen their lead atop the Premier League evaporate. They only lead by three points over Manchester City, and that advantage is fragile since City have a game in hand. Their weekend victory over Newcastle was one that came at a price, as Kai Havertz and Eberechi Eze left with injuries just as Bukayo Saka made his own return to the squad. They are a team that can’t catch a break right now, and they’re facing opponents playing with house money at this stage of the season.
No one expected Atletico Madrid to be LaLiga’s final remaining squad in Champions League play, but here they are. Antoine Griezmann is departing the club at the end of the season, and he’s going out on a high note after toppling Barcelona. That was already a tie that no one expected Atletico Madrid to get past, while Arsenal struggled to defeat Sporting CP.
Diego Simeone’s men have been one of the most prolific attacks in Champions League play, but their biggest defeat came at the hands of Arsenal, a 4-0 loss during the league phase. But with that match coming in October, both squads are in a different place, so it can’t be used to predict how this semifinal clash will go. Since adding Ademola Lookman in January, Atleti have opened a new level in their attack, and it’s one that will give Arsenal everything that they can handle.
Potential starting lineups
Atletico: Jan Oblak; Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand, David Hancko, Reinildo Mandava; Samuel Lino, Pablo Barrios, Koke, Marcos Llorente; Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez
Arsenal: David Raya; Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Martin Odegaard; Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli
Prediction
While defense will still take center stage in the match, goals by Saka and Griezmann will see this head to the second leg in North London with all to play for. Score: Atletico Madrid 1, Arsenal 1
