Arsenal take on Atletico Madrid, looking to secure an important first leg result in the Spanish capital. They will take whatever scoreline they’ve earned back to north London next week, looking to reach their first UEFA Champions League final since 2006.
Mikel Arteta’s pre-match press conference began in confusing fashion, initially suggesting Jurrien Timber would make the game before admitting an error, and the Dutchman will still sadly sit this fixture out; Kai Havertz is also unavailable. There was good news, however, in the form of Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Riccardo Calafiori, who are all confirmed to have made the group.
Diego Simeone fielded questions centring around Julian Alvarez, who is believed to be of interest to the Gunners and will be a considerable threat against them this evening. Atletico are without Pablo Barrios while Ademola Lookman is still a doubt for the game, and Nico Gonzalez was injured during the final training session before the match.
Updates to come from the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, where our Arsenal reporter Tom Canton is in attendance. Team news and match coverage to follow…
Tom Canton
Hello and welcome to **football.london** for live coverage of Arsenal's clash with Atletico Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
**Tom Canton** is in Madrid this evening to bring you live updates.