Atleti vs Arsenal Champions League preview: Where to watch, predicted line-ups, form, coach's thoughts

Atleti host Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday 29 April.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.

What you need to know?

Atleti have won 11 of their 15 previous UEFA two-legged ties against English teams, including all three semi-finals, but an Arsenal side that convincingly beat them 4-0 in the league phase represents their toughest test yet against the finest the Premier League has to offer.

This opener offers a fascinating duel between two sides playing football they have not always been synonymous with down the years. Atleti have been a potent force in attack with 34 goals in this season's competition – the most they have ever struck in a European Cup or Champions League campaign. Arsenal, meanwhile, has been miserly in defence, conceding a mere five goals in their 12 matches.

Their semi-finals were opposites too. Atleti's classic with Barcelona was a rollercoaster affair, Diego Simeone's men peaking with a 2-0 first-leg victory before dipping to a 2-0 deficit in the return only for Ademola Lookman to settle their nerves and, eventually, the tie. Arsenal, by contrast, ground out a 1-0 win at Sporting CP courtesy of Kai Havertz's late winner in Lisbon and their defence held firm in the goalless London return.

The unstoppable force meets the immovable object – which will be stronger for two clubs still hunting that elusive first Champions League crown?

Possible line-ups

Atleti: Oblak; Molina, Pubill, Le Normand, Ruggeri; Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Álex Baena; Griezmann, Alvarez

Arsenal: Raya; White, Gabriel, Saliba, Hincapié; Rice, Ødegaard, Zubimendi; Saka, Gyökeres, Martinelli

Form guide

Atleti

Form: WLDLLW
Latest: Atleti 3-2 Athletic Club, 25/04, Spanish Liga

Arsenal

Form: WLDLWL
Latest: Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle, 25/04, English Premier League

Views from the camps

Diego Simeone, Atleti coach: "It's not pressure, it's responsibility. It's a huge objective [winning the Champions League], something the club has never achieved. It's a football match and, ultimately, it's the footballers who decide these games."

Koke, Atleti captain: "Whenever the day approaches, you get this nervous feeling in your stomach like on the first date with a girl you like. There's nervousness in the days before but during the match I'll be calm."

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal coach: "It's a massive privilege to be here again, two years in a row in the semi-finals of the Champions League. What an opportunity and we're going to grab it with both hands. We have shown in Europe at any ground what we are capable of. We have to play with that confidence and that desire."

Martin Ødegaard, Arsenal captain: "It is the best part of the season, everyone is up for it. We know what we play for. Tomorrow is the opportunity to do something special. It is massive, as I said, we're in a great position. We want to take that last step and do something really big."

Reporter's view

Juan Díaz, match reporter
Two teams with high hopes face off in the first leg of the semi-finals. Knowing both coaches, it’s set to be a highly tactical match with plenty of strategic manoeuvring, especially given that there is still the 90 minutes in London to come.

They have already met in the league phase and Arsenal came out on top, but since then the Rojiblancos have grown in solidity and boast an attack in top form, where anyone – Julián Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann, Alexander Sørloth or Ademola Lookman – can make the difference. It is no coincidence that Diego Simeone's charges have the third-best attack in the competition.