Last Word on Football brings you the latest team news and predicted lineups ahead of the Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal Champions League semi-final first leg at the Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid. Atletico come into this fixture fourth in La Liga, and in the last round of the Champions League, they memorably knocked out Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate. The Gunners earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Newcastle last time out, and overcame a stubborn Sporting CP in the previous round, winning 1-0 on aggregate.
Champions League: Team News and Predicted Lineups for Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal
Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Venue: Metropolitano Stadium
Kick-off: 20:00 GMT
Last meeting: Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid (October 21, 2025).
Referee: Danny Makkelie
Current odds: Arsenal 13/10, Atletico 21/10, Draw 23/10.
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Atletico Madrid Team News
Diego Simeone’s team come into the game off the back of a 3-2 win against Athletic Club on Saturday. Ademola Lookman missed the game with a muscle strain, but has declared himself fit for the semi-final against Arsenal. Julian Alvarez was a sub at the weekend, and Simeone has cast doubt on his fitness, but if Alvarez is available, it would be a huge boost for Atletico.
Left-back David Hancko could be available for selection following an ankle injury, as could fellow defender Jose Gimenez. However, central midfielder Pablo Barrios will be out after picking up a hamstring injury.
Arsenal Team News
When asked about the club’s injury updates, Mikel Arteta said: “Kai is out, and Ebz is ready to go.”
Arteta was also asked about the availability of Riccardo Calafiori and Bukayo Saka. The Gunners boss confirmed: “[Riccardo] is available tomorrow.”
The Gunners boss was also asked about the availability of Jurrien Timber and said: “We don’t know yet. He’s doing some stuff on the pitch at the moment, but we need to get the gears up and be able to do more things before he can compete with us.”
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Atletico Madrid Predicted Lineup
Musso
Llorente
Pubill
Lenglet
Ruggeri
Simeone
Koke
Cardoso
Gonzalez
Griezmann
Sorloth
Arsenal Predicted Lineup
Raya
Mosquera
Saliba
Gabriel
Hincapie
Zubimendi
Rice
Saka
Odegaard
Martinelli
Gyokeres
Featured Image Credit:
SmartFrame – Zuma Press