The unpredictable Atletico Madrid travel to take on an Arsenal side currently thriving at the top level, and this will be a battle of two Spanish managers.

Mikel Arteta will have been pleased with the way his team has responded to the criticism from the early part of the campaign. Not only has the Spaniard steered Arsenal to the top of the table in the Premier League, but they are also in a strong position in Europe ahead of the game against Atletico Madrid.

Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 away win at Fulham at the weekend, and they have only conceded three goals in eleven games across all competitions. Arteta will want to continue this momentum from recent weeks and aim to extend it into the UEFA Champions League.

The Gunners have secured identical 2-0 wins in their two games so far in the Champions League, but they are yet to face an opposition of the stature of Atletico Madrid. Arteta usually has a well-drilled setup for such big games, and there could be a strong display from his players in this upcoming clash at the Emirates on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid continued their unpredictable form, which has been up and down since the start of the campaign. Diego Simeone has secured some stellar results this term while disappointing in others. At the weekend, they managed to chrun out a narrow 1-0 home win over Osasuna, which was another display of their unpredictability.

Simeone’s men have managed to score in all of their 11 games across all competitions this season, and that is a threat the manager would like to take to the Emirates. There are obvious challenges ahead for Atletico Madrid in breaking down this Arsenal defence, but they are probably one of the few sides capable of hurting the Gunners in this aspect.

As far as their Champions League campaign is concerned, this is not Atletico Madrid’s first visit to England this season, having lost out to Liverpool on Matchday 1. Simeone will hope to get the better of his counterpart Arteta in this fixture, which promises a tactical battle of wits between the two sets of managers.

Team News & Tactics

Arsenal

There are no fresh concerns for Mikel Arteta heading into the UEFA Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid. The quartet of Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, and skipper Martin Odegaard are the ones still missing from action.

In the build-up to the Fulham game, defender Piero Hincapie made a return to training, and while he was excluded from the matchday squad at the weekend, he might make the cut for the midweek encounter.

There are doubts whether Arteta will make any wholesale changes from Saturday for this one, as he could name an unchanged lineup for the Atletico Madrid clash. The prominence of the clash and the importance of getting a result here could be the reason for not using the massive quality depth at his disposal, although he might utilise his bench better in this one.

Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice must be careful with their discipline as they are walking a tightrope, as another yellow for either midfielder might see them miss the clash with Slavia Prague after this one.

Viktor Gyokeres will have the spotlight on him as there are concerns over his scoring form, with the Swede set to lead the line for Arsenal against Atletico Madrid. Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard will be preferred in the other front three positions.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Magalhaes, Saliba, Calafiori; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard

Atletico Madrid

The weekend’s clash with Osasuna did come at a cost as attacker Nico Gonzalez suffered a head injury, which could keep him out of this visit to Arsenal due to concussion protocols. Ilias Kostis and Johnny Cardoso are the other absentees for Simeone, as the manager overall has a strong enough squad for this visit to London.

It remains to be seen how Simeone sets up against this Arsenal side, and the early prediction might lean towards a back three of Robin Le Normand, Jose Maria Gimenez, and David Hancko. Guiliano Simeone, who replaced Gonzalez at the weekend, is primed for a start in the right wing-back role, with Marcos Llorente a surprise candidate for the other wing role.

Simeone might lean towards a midfield setup with Pablo Barrios, the experienced Koke and Conor Gallagher. The Argentine coach will be extremely happy with the options he has up front compared to their visit to Liverpool earlier, as he will have the in-form Julian Alvarez available for this clash.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Oblak; Le Normand, Gimenez, Hancko; Simeone, Koke, Barrios, Gallagher, Llorente; Griezmann, Alvarez

Key Stats

• Arsenal have conceded only three goals in 11 games across all competitions this season.
• Arsenal are unbeaten in eight games across all competitions.
• Atletico Madrid have scored in each of their 11 games this season across all competitions.
• Atletico Madrid are yet to win a game away from home across all competitions.
• Bukayo Saka has been directly involved in 17 goals in 19 appearances in the UEFA Champions League (11 goals, six assists). Since his debut in the competition on 20th September 2023, Saka has the second best minutes per goal involvement ratio of any winger (89 – min. 500 minutes played), only behind Barcelona’s Raphinha (69).

Player to Watch

Viktor Gyokeres

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The Swedish striker went another game without a goal, and while the pressure is all on the outside, Arteta remains happy with his performances. Once again, in the Fulham game, he was constantly dragging the centre-backs with him to allow Bukayo Saka to do his work from the wide areas.

Against Atletico Madrid, he will be key for Arsenal to break down an otherwise stubborn backline that Simeone tends to set up. Once again, the fans would like for the Swede to score a goal in this clash, but his main work will once again lean towards creating space for others.

Prediction

Arsenal 2-1 Atletico Madrid

On form, Atletico Madrid are nowhere close to the consistent levels Arsenal are currently at, but that does not negate the fact that the Rojiblancos might put up a big fight at the Emirates. Furthermore, Diego Simeone’s men have scored in each of their 11 games this season, which could see the Gunners’ backline breached for only a fourth time this season, but beyond that, Arteta’s side are set to keep a tight lid in defence.

Arsenal are a strong force at home and have the momentum following their recent results. Hence, it is Mikel Arteta’s side who are favourites to take three points against Atletico Madrid, although the Gunners are yet to fully click into attacking gear to score a lot of goals. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Arteta and his charges.