Verdict: Arsenal win
Best Odds: 7/10
Bookmaker: Dachbet
With a spot in the final of this season’s Champions League hanging in the balance on Tuesday night, Arsenal will welcome Atletico Madrid to north London for their second-leg showdown.
Arsenal
Starting with the hosts, while Arsenal might have found a tremendous amount of pressure on their shoulders on either side of March’s international break, the Gunners were certainly back to their tantalising best over the weekend. Putting in a thumping performance at the Emirates as they swept aside Fulham thanks to a routine 3-0 victory, Mikel Arteta will be demanding a repeat display here. Despite eventually being forced to settle for a first-leg 1-1 stalemate when they travelled over to the Spanish capital last week, Arsenal find themselves pencilled in as a standout contender when they return to the Emirates on Tuesday night. Despite failing to register consecutive victories across all competitions since the middle of March, Arteta’s side have remarkably not suffered a single Champions League defeat during this season’s tournament.
Arsenal Team News
Completely omitted from Arteta’s squad over the weekend after sustaining a reported knee issue, Arsenal are once again sweating over the fitness of skipper Martin Odegaard here. Likewise, German international Kai Havertz is also expected to miss out on Tuesday night after picking up his own respective knee injury last month.
Making a timely return from a muscle issue against Fulham over the weekend, England international and attacking talisman Bukayo Saka will feature from the start. Bagging a Premier League brace on Saturday evening and really starting to find his feet in north London, Swedish marksman Viktor Gyokeres will lead the line.
Atletico Madrid
As for the visitors, missing out on the chance to claim what would have been a crucial first-leg advantage on home soil last week, Atletico Madrid will be more than aware that they have an almighty job on their hands here. While Diego Simeone’s side might have clinched consecutive La Liga victories on either side of opening May, it is fair to say that the Spanish giants have drastically failed to find any kind of stability over recent times. Despite collecting an iconic quarter-final scalp last month as they came past bitter domestic rivals Barcelona thanks to a 3-2 aggregate win, Atletico have remarkably won just a trio of their previous 11 appearances across all competitions. It should also be highlighted, Simeone’s men were hit with a nightmare 4-0 drumming when they travelled to north London for a European group stage showdown back on October 21st.
Atletico Madrid Team News
Limping off with a suspected ankle injury late on last week, Atletico Madrid are sweating over the fitness of attacking talisman Julian Alvarez on Tuesday night. Likewise, Simeone’s side will travel to north London without the likes of Pablo Barrios, Jose Gimenez and former Juventus star Nico Gonzalez.
Shockingly left as an unused substitute in Madrid last week, Norwegian international Alexander Sorloth could be handed a full recall. Handed a full La Liga rest against Valencia over the weekend, veteran goalkeeper Jan Oblak will return between the sticks on Tuesday.
Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid Key Factors to Consider
- When Arsenal and Atletico Madrid met for their first-leg showdown over in the Spanish capital last week, Tuesday’s semi-finalists played out a fiery 1-1 stalemate.
- However, the Gunners stormed their way to a thumping 4-0 victory when they welcomed Atletico to north London for a group stage meeting on October 21st.
- Atletico have recorded just a trio of wins from their previous 11 appearances across all competitions.
- Viktor Gyokeres has registered 18 goals for club and country so far this calendar year.
- Simeone’s side have conceded at least a pair of goals in five of their last seven away fixtures across all competitions.
Conclusion
Claiming some key momentum over the weekend as they stormed their way to a routine 3-0 victory against Fulham, Arsenal will be dreaming of a repeat performance here. Despite failing to collect a first-leg advantage over in the Spanish capital last week, they will certainly be excited by Atletico’s most recent trip to north London. Breezing their way to a stellar 4-0 romp back in October, we are backing the Gunners to punch their Champions League final ticket on Tuesday night.
Verdict: Arsenal win
Best Odds: 7/10
Bookmaker: Dachbet