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Significant changes predicted in midfield and in attack that will.propel Arsenal in the final…

**By Danong** 

**Arsenal are back in action on Tuesday, hosting Atlético Madrid at the Emirates Stadium in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.**

**The first leg ended all square, with the two sides playing out a 1-1 draw at the Wanda Metropolitano. Tuesday night, however, a winner must emerge, and Arsenal will be hoping that on familiar ground, they are the ones who come out on top.**

**Earlier in the season, when the Gunners hosted Atletico in the Champions League league phase, they thrashed them 4-0. A similar result on Tuesday night will book the north Londoners a place in the 2026 Champions League final, set for the Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday, 30 May.**

**On Saturday, Mikel Arteta reintroduced Ricardo Calafiori and Bukayo Saka in his starting 11 in that convincing 3-0 win over Fulham, with Myles Lewis-Skelly replacing Martin Zubimendi in midfield also proving another astute tactical call.**

**Against the La Liga outfit, Gooners will be hoping Arteta produces similarly sharp thinking to outwit Diego Simeone.**

**Notably, the Arsenal boss is boosted by the availability of both Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard, a significant lift ahead of such a high-stakes occasion.**

**With the returning duo back in the squad alongside the formidable side Arteta fielded on Saturday, Atletico have every reason to be worried.**

**Arteta could opt to play:**

**Raya**

**White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie**

**Rice, Odegaard, Eze**

**Saka, Havertz, Trossard**

**With this line-up, Arteta would be making some bold and necessary calls, the most significant being up front, Havertz for Gyökeres and choosing an attack oriented midfield by dropping Zubimendi for Odegaard.** 

**While Victor Gyokeres reminded everyone at the weekend just what a deadly finisher he is, Havertz represents the better option against Atletico. The German international's movement and work rate suit the demands of a tight two-legged tie far better.**

**His technical brilliance, alongside Eberechi Eze and Odegaard, could prove the key to unlocking Atletico's typically resolute defence, creating the openings for Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard to capitalise on.**

**That line-up should comfortably be too strong for Atletico, and could see Arsenal take a decisive step closer to European glory.**

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