Arsenal will not have an easy time dealing with Atletico.

At 2 AM on May 6th (Vietnam time), Arsenal will host Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium in the second leg of the 2025-2026 Champions League semi-final.

Báo Tuổi Trẻ•05/05/2026

Arsenal - Ảnh 1. — The cautious playing style of both teams easily leads to the match going into extra time - Photo: AFP

In the first leg, the two teams drew 1-1 at Atletico's Metropolitano Stadium, with both goals coming from penalties. The draw in Spain is a significant advantage for Arsenal. The ticket to Budapest (Hungary) to face Bayern Munich or PSG is now within reach for the "Gunners".

Emirates Stadium home advantage

Entering the crucial second leg, Arsenal have the advantage of playing at the Emirates Stadium. They have maintained an unbeaten record throughout the 2025-2026 Champions League campaign when playing at home.

Mikel Arteta's players are in high spirits after their 3-0 victory over Fulham last weekend. It was a game where Arsenal displayed fluid play, solidifying their position at the top of the table ahead of chasing Manchester City. Notably, star striker Viktor Gyokeres scored a brace, relieving the pressure. Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka was substituted after the first 45 minutes to conserve his energy for the crucial match against Atletico.

History is also against the Spanish side. In their last 15 home matches against Spanish teams in European competitions, Arsenal have only lost once, against Barcelona in the 2015-2016 season. In this season's qualifying round, Arsenal also defeated the same opponent at the Emirates Stadium.

While Arsenal's attack is in top form, Atletico's defense is showing too many weaknesses away from home. Atletico have conceded at least two goals in 7 of their last 10 away matches.

The match could easily go into extra time.

Although Arsenal have many advantages, underestimating Atletico Madrid's cup-winning mentality is always a costly mistake. Coach Diego Simeone is a master of tactics and the ability to "survive" in the most difficult circumstances.

Statistics show that Atletico have advanced in 6 out of 10 knockout matches in European competitions after being held to a draw in the first leg at home. Arsenal fans probably haven't forgotten the pain of the 2017-2018 Europa League semi-final, when Atletico shattered their dreams of winning the title.

Atletico are also extremely well-prepared in terms of personnel. Having already secured their fate in domestic competitions (losing the Copa del Rey and guaranteeing a top 4 spot in La Liga), Simeone boldly made 11 changes to the starting lineup in their 2-0 victory against Valencia last weekend.

Key players like Koke, Antoine Griezmann, Marcos Llorente, and Jan Oblak are all fully fit. In particular, striker Julian Alvarez – who recently broke Lionel Messi's record to become the fastest Argentinian player to reach 25 goals in the Champions League – is also ready to cause heartbreak for the London team.

Arsenal - Ảnh 2. — Manager Arteta and Arsenal have many advantages - Photo: REUTERS

Arsenal are holding their breath awaiting news from Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz.

Arsenal are anxiously awaiting news on the medical condition of captain Martin Odegaard and striker Kai Havertz. While the central midfield pairing of Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi provides solidity, the absence of Odegaard's creativity could cause Arsenal difficulties against the visitors' defensive wall. This is because Atletico will undoubtedly employ a proactive counter-attacking strategy. They will drop deep to prolong the stalemate, thereby wearing down the physical and mental strength of Arsenal's young players.

Given the tense nature of a match for a place in the final, and the cautious approach from both managers, it's highly likely that the two teams won't be able to settle the match within the 90 minutes of regular time. Spectators will probably witness a battle that goes into extra time. In that case, a moment of individual brilliance could decide the entire season.