After reclaiming their Premier League lead, at least temporarily, on Saturday night against Newcastle United, Arsenal enter their second-straight UEFA Champions League semifinal, aiming to make it to the final for the first time in 20 years.
The Gunners travel to Spanish capital for the first leg of their semifinal tie against Atlético Madrid, as they seek to find cheer in Europe amid a draining Premier League title race.
Arsenal have reached this stage after beating Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting CP in the last two rounds, with neither win wholly convincing, but both fairly deserved for Mikel Arteta's side. They face a battle-hardened Atlético, who came through a tough quarterfinal tie against Barcelona, aided by red cards to their opponents in both legs of that tie.
Diego Simeone's priorities have been evident from his team selections in some recent league games, with Atletico out of the LaLiga title race, and comfortable in their position within the top four, so the Champions League is is the only competition that matters for Atlético now, with it also being the one that has gotten away from Simeone during his stellar spell with this club so far.
Here's everything you need to know about Wednesday's game.
How to watch:
The match will be shown on TNT Sports in the UK, CBS Sports in the U.S., SonyLiv in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Kick-off time: Wednesday, April 29 at 8:00 p.m. BST (3:00 p.m. ET; 12:30 a.m. IST, Thursday and 5:00 a.m. AEST, Thursday). Venue: Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid. Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands) VAR: Dennis Higler (Netherlands)
Injury and Team News:
Atletico Madrid
Ademola Lookman, F: adductor, DOUBT Jose Gimenez, D: muscle, OUT Pablo Barrios, M: thigh, OUT
Arsenal
Jurriën Timber, D: knock, DOUBT Kai Havertz, F: knock, DOUBT Eberechi Eze, M: knock, DOUBT Riccardo Calafiori, D: knock, DOUBT Mikel Merino, M: foot, OUT
Talking Points:
Unlike Atlético, there is no room for resting players or rotation of any kind for Arteta and Arsenal. With the Premier League title race heading down to the wire, Arteta will use his best players in both competitions. It's obviously a position that Simeone would rather be in as well, given that his rotational luxuries only exist because Atlético have no chance of competing for the LALIGA title.