Arsenal (right) is facing many difficulties - Photo: REUTERS
"A battle of defenses" is how the media describes this matchup. It's a pairing with virtually no history between the two teams. It lacks much of a traditional dynamic, and certainly doesn't offer much excitement.
Arsenal are on track to set defensive records this season. In the Champions League alone, Mikel Arteta's team kept five clean sheets in eight group stage matches.
In the knockout rounds, they kept a clean sheet in 3 out of 4 matches. As a result, Arsenal are now just one clean sheet short of the record set by Chelsea in the 2020-2021 season.
Conversely, Atletico Madrid has long been known as the "king of defense." Unlike his counterpart Mikel Arteta, the defensive approach established by coach Diego Simeone is different. Atletico doesn't defend solidly at all times. Instead, they often only focus on "parking the bus" in front of their goal during crucial moments.
The victory against Barca in the Champions League quarter-finals is a clear example. In both legs, Atletico Madrid played a back-and-forth game, but they always retreated into a defensive formation when put under pressure. And once Simeone's team decided to defend resolutely, it was truly a very difficult defense to penetrate.
This season, Arsenal thrashed Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the group stage. But that was a time when the Spanish team was in crisis and struggling due to competing in multiple competitions. Currently, Atletico Madrid has already secured a top-four finish in La Liga (10 points ahead of the fifth-placed team).
Conversely, Arsenal are the team struggling right now. In the Premier League, they are in a very close title race with Man City. In that situation, it's understandable that Arsenal are facing many difficulties due to injury problems.
Atletico Madrid will be without Gimenez and Barrios for this match. But Arsenal's injury list is much longer, with Timber, Havertz, and Merino definitely absent. Meanwhile, Eze, Calafiori, Odegaard, and Saka are all racing against time to recover.
With the home advantage in this match, Atletico Madrid can confidently play an attacking game to seek an advantage.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ban-ket-champions-league-20260429083434945.htm
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