Over to you, Atleti and Arsenal.
After playing out one of the most thrilling games in the history of the UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have set a high bar for Atletico Madrid and Arsenal to live up to for the first leg of their semi-final clash.
It’s unlikely Thursday morning’s (AEST) game in Madrid will yield nine goals, but we can at least hope for plenty of drama when Diego Simeone’s side take on the current English Premier League leaders.
The two sides seem very evenly matched on paper, with high levels of physicality and defensive organisation their hallmarks, though perhaps that does a disservice to the attacking quality on show.
Let’s not forget that, in Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann, Atletico have a couple of world-class creative talents leading their line, while Arsenal have a wide array of attacking options in their squad – but exactly which of them will be available remains a bit of a mystery.
Eberechi Eze and Kai Havertz both picked up knocks in the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Newcastle in the Premier League last weekend, and the absence of either would be a big blow for Arsenal’s hopes of nicking an away goal or two.
That said, with Martin Odergaard now back in action and Bukayo Saka returning to the field after more than a month out through injury, Mikel Arteta still has plenty of creative solutions to turn to.
Match Details and How to Watch
Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal, UEFA Champions League semi-final, first leg
Date: Thursday 30 April (Australian time) / Wednesday 29 April (European time)
Kick-off: 5am AEST / 9pm local
Venue: Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid
Broadcast: Stan Sport
Recent form
Atletico Madrid (most recent first)
WON 3-2 vs Athletic Club (La Liga)
LOST 3-2 vs Elche (La Liga)
DREW 2-2 vs Real Sociedad, lost 4-3 on penalties (Copa del Rey final)
LOST 2-1 vs Barcelona (Champions League quarter-final, second leg)
LOST 2-1 vs Sevilla (La Liga)
Arsenal (most recent first)
WON 1-0 vs Newcastle (Premier League)
LOST 2-1 vs Manchester City (Premier League)
DREW 0-0 vs Sporting Lisbon (Champions League quarter-final, second leg)
LOST 2-1 vs Bournemouth (Premier League)
WON 1-0 vs Sporting Lisbon (Champions League quarter-final, first leg)