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Arsenal defender Cristhian Mosquera has warned against focusing solely on stopping Julian Alvarez when the Gunners face Atletico Madrid in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final, despite acknowledging the World Cup winner is a “special” striker.
The Spain international centre-back emphasized that Atletico possess multiple threats beyond their Argentine forward, who has been nursing a fitness concern in recent weeks.
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“Atletico has many great players, very high quality, and Julian is one of them. He’s a special striker, but the Gunners are focused on the team, on Atletico,” [Mosquera told EFE](https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/arsenal-news-julian-alvarez-injury-33843178). “It’s obvious that a player like Julian can make a difference, but Arsenal are a very solid team, the club will stick together and work harder than anyone.”
Alvarez fitness doubt lingers
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There remains uncertainty over Alvarez’s availability for the Wanda Metropolitano clash. The former Manchester City striker has missed Atletico’s past four La Liga matches due to a small fitness issue.
He was completely excluded from Diego Simeone’s squad for the 3-2 defeat at Elche last week and remained an unused substitute against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday evening.
Arsenal will need to prepare for multiple attacking threats, with Alexander Sorloth and Antoine Griezmann also capable of troubling their defense. The north London side have been defensively solid this campaign, keeping 28 clean sheets in all competitions following Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle.
Revenge factor dismissed
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The Gunners previously demolished Atletico 4-0 in the Champions League group phase back in October, but Mosquera played down any revenge motivation.
“It’s true that when you lose, you come in with that feeling of having lost, with not-so-good feelings, but at the same time, you have the ambition to want to change things,” he explained.
“Their recent form hasn’t been so good, but Arsenal can’t focus on that. The club has to focus on themselves, on working hard, on the day-to-day, and on preparing for this match.”
Atletico are cruising towards a top-four finish in La Liga, affording them the luxury to rest players ahead of their European semi-final. Meanwhile, Arsenal remain locked in a Premier League title race, potentially creating different preparation scenarios for both sides.
Mosquera acknowledged the demanding fixture schedule but viewed it positively: “Having so many matches means you’re still alive in several competitions, and the club has to see that as an opportunity.”
Arsenal’s defensive record in the Champions League has been exceptional this season, conceding just five goals across 12 matches while recording eight clean sheets. That resilience will be tested against an Atletico side looking to overturn their earlier heavy defeat and reach the final.