Mikel Arteta wants no excuses: Arsenal will host Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday at 8pm for the Champions League semifinal second leg after the tie was left delicately poised at 1-1 following last week’s first meeting at the Metropolitano.
Arteta cut to the point. “We are in an incredible position – the semifinal of the Champions League. We have to play in front of our people. It’s in our hands,” he said, urging his squad and supporters to treat the night as decisive. The club’s fans will get a long build-up too: a live follow-up on Al Jazeera Sport begins at 16:00 GMT before the 19:00 GMT kick-off.
The scoreline understates how finely balanced the tie is. Both sides scored from the penalty spot in the first leg and Atletico arguably had the better of the encounter at the Metropolitano, but Arsenal carried clear threats and left Madrid convinced they had been unlucky when Eberechi Eze was clipped inside the box and no second penalty was given.
That missed call matters because the first leg was not dominated by one goalkeeper: Arsenal’s David Raya was called into action more often than Atletico’s Jan Oblak, keeping the Gunners in the game at key moments. The statistical tug-of-war and the split decisions on the night mean the second leg is not a replay of what happened in Spain but a new test entirely.
Arsenal arrive at the Emirates with a boost from the weekend. Bukayo Saka scored and provided the assist for Viktor Gyokeres in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Fulham — Arsenal’s first three-goal match in 16 games — and all three goals came before Saka was withdrawn at half-time. The manager made a point of praising the winger’s return to form: “He certainly made a difference. He made two actions that decided the game, and we know what he’s capable of,” Arteta said, adding that Saka has “come back in the most important period of the season, and now he’s fresh.”
Saka’s contribution carries weight because he has been nursing an Achilles injury in recent months; his minutes, and how the staff manage him between now and Tuesday, will shape Arsenal’s attacking threat. If he can reproduce the weekend’s sharpness over 90 minutes, Arsenal’s home crowd could be the extra margin the club needs.
Atletico, for their part, remain dangerous and experienced in tight European ties; they will travel knowing a draw could still be enough depending on how the game unfolds. The winner of this tie will advance to the final on May 30 to face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich — a prize both clubs have never lifted and a finishing line that now sits a single result away.
There is a tension under the optimism. Arsenal believe a second penalty should have been awarded in Madrid and will be watching VAR and refereeing interpretations closely, while the physical exchange that defined the first leg suggests fine margins could decide which club reaches its first Champions League final. Tactical tweaks, Saka’s load, and whether Arsenal can convert home advantage into goals are all variables that could swing the tie.
Arteta’s closing message was straightforward and tactical at once: the platform is set for a night at the Emirates and the responsibility belongs to his players. If Arsenal take his words literally — “It’s in our hands” — then Tuesday will be the match by which this season is judged.
