Arsenal host Atletico with injuries to key players but confidence high after a faultless European start and another Premier League win at the weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal face Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid at the Emirates on Tuesday night, looking to continue their perfect start in this season’s Champions League. Two wins from two see Arsenal sit fifth in the overall league table, level on points with the top four and separated only by goal difference.
Atletico arrive with three points from their opening games, having lost 3-2 to Liverpool before beating Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1. They also defeated Osasuna 1-0 at the weekend and sit fourth in La Liga, a point behind Villarreal but six behind Real Madrid, and eight behind league leaders Barcelona.
Arsenal strengthened heavily over the summer and their squad depth is now among the best in Europe. Even so, Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, and Gabriel Jesus will miss the game through injury.
Piero Hincapié has returned to full training after a groin problem but was not included in the squad for Saturday’s 1-0 win over Fulham, which extended Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League to three points over Manchester City.
Atletico have only one absentee, with Johnny Cardoso still sidelined by an ankle injury. Nico Gonzalez, who was forced off against Osasuna with a head injury, has been cleared to play after medical checks confirmed he had not suffered concussion.
The 27-year-old winger, on loan from Juventus, has featured in every match since joining in September.
There will be several familiar names in the Atletico squad for English fans, including Conor Gallagher, Julian Álvarez, and Alexander Sørloth, alongside Jan Oblak, Antoine Griezmann, Koke, and José Giménez.
This is the first time the two clubs have met in European competition since the 2017-18 Europa League semi-final, when Arsenal were beaten 2–1 on aggregate. Diego Costa scored the decisive goal in Madrid after a 1-1 draw in London.
Atletico have never won away to an English side in the Champions League league group/phase, drawing two and losing three, and their only victory over an English team in their last nine attempts came against Manchester United in 2022.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s recent record against Spanish opposition is the best of any side in the history of the competition. They have won six consecutive matches against La Liga teams, beating Real Madrid (twice), Sevilla (twice), Girona, and Athletic Club during that run.
Speaking to Marca, Arteta said he has great respect for Simeone’s achievements. “What he has done at Atletico, and the way he has done it, is impressive,” he said. “He’s maintained that level for many years. It shows his self-demand, his emotional and tactical control, and his competitive nature. In many ways, I think we are closer than people think.”
On the expectations facing Arsenal this season, Arteta added: “We take that pressure naturally. We’ve created those expectations ourselves, and that’s part of elite football.”
Seven years after Atletico ended Arsenal’s European hopes, the two clubs meet again under very different circumstances. Arteta’s team are now one of the most balanced and confident sides in Europe, and Tuesday offers another chance to show just how far they have come.
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid referee
Italian referee Davide Massa will take charge of Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
The 44-year-old, assisted by compatriots Filippo Meli, Stefano Alassio, Matteo Marcenaro, and VAR official Daniele Chiffi (with France’s Jérôme Brisard as assistant VAR), has previously officiated both clubs but never in the same match.
Massa has overseen several Arsenal fixtures in European competition, including the 3-0 wins over Qarabag, Eintracht Frankfurt, and AS Monaco, as well as the 2-1 Europa League defeat to Olympiacos in 2020.
His most recent involvement with Atletico came in a far more contentious encounter last season when he sent off both Piero Hincapié and Pablo Barrios during Atletico’s Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen. Hincapié, then playing for Leverkusen, had scored before receiving a second yellow card in a dramatic game that ended 2-1 to Atletico.
Hincapié, now at Arsenal, is expected to return to the squad for Tuesday’s meeting and will hope for a calmer evening under Massa’s officiating.