It’s incredible to think that when you look at the La Liga table, Arsenal have faced half of the 20 sides currently competing in Spain’s top-flight in Champions League action.
That number rises again when you also count Deportivo La Coruna, who are now languishing in the second tier while they were a formidable force in the early 2000s, and Tuesday will see us add to that total when Atletico Madrid come to north London.
While we’ve faced off in the Europa League, it will be the first time the Gunners have faced the Spanish giants in Europe’s premier competition. It promises to be a fascinating fixture, as many of our first encounters with Spanish sides in the competition have.
The Gunners didn’t get off to an auspicious start against the cream of La Liga, drawing and then losing against Barcelona in the 1999/00 group stages and then being ousted on away goals in the 2001 quarter final against Valencia, before a pair of 2-0 losses to Deportivo in 2001/02.
By the mid noughties though, we had more than found our feet. Two goals from Brazilian midfielder Edu, the second was a scorching curler from outside the box, and another from Robert Pires gave the Gunners their first away win against a Spanish side in a pulsating last 16 clash in 2004 against Celta Vigo. Arséne Wenger’s men followed this up with a comfortable 2-0 win at Highbury in the return leg, courtesy of a Thierry Henry brace.
In 2006, two of our most lauded European successes came against Spanish sides, as we faced both Real Madrid and Villarreal for the first time on the European stage. The Gunners’ iconic 1-0 away win in the Bernabeu, thanks to Henry’s sumptuous finish, remains one of the Gunners’ most famous Champions League nights, and a furious rearguard action against Real at Highbury claimed a 0-0 draw which was enough to see the Gunners over the line and into the last four.
In the semi-final, Kolo Toure’s flicked finish from Alexandr Hleb’s low cross was enough to secure a 1-0 home win over Villarreal. At the yellow-hued Estadio de la Ceramica in the return leg, El Submarino Amarillo pushed us all the way, and only a dramatic 90th minute penalty save by Jens Lehmann from Juan Roman Riquelme prevented Villarreal from taking the tie to extra time. However, when faced with a third Spanish hurdle in the final, Barcelona prevailed in the final, becoming the third side from the nation to beat us in a European final.
A fantastic night at Emirates Stadium in 2007 saw a clinical Arsenal, pinging the ball around at will, defeat Sevilla in a group stage match 3-0, thanks to goals from Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Eduardo, while more recent first clashes with Spanish clubs have given several Arsenal players the opportunity to shine.
After some tricky footwork on the edge of Girona’s penalty area, Ethan Nwaneri expertly curled home the decisive goal in a’ 2-1 win in the revamped Champions League in January. Last month, substitutes Gabriel Martinelli - with a coruscating run and finish - and Leandro Trossard, courtesy of a deflected shot, silenced the passionate crowd in Bilbao to give Arsenal a 2-0 win in their opening European match of the 2025/26 season.
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