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Arsenal host Atl\u00e9tico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal on Tuesday night, with the tie locked at 1\u20131.<\/p>\n
The Gunners ultimately left the Spanish capital content with their night\u2018s work and are the favorites to progress into their first Champions League final since they were beaten 2\u20131 by Barcelona in Paris 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
Ars\u00e8ne Wenger\u2019s side overcame La Liga opposition in the form of Villarreal to reach the competition\u2019s showpiece event in 2006, and supporters will be pleading for a repeat of history midweek. Arsenal have gradually improved their Champions League standing since they broke bread with Europe\u2019s aristocracy again three years ago<\/p>\n
They were quarterfinalists in 2023\u201324, then semifinalists last season. Bypassing Atl\u00e9ti would represent linear progression, and a scintillating opponent will await them in Budapest.<\/p>\n
Diego Simeone\u2018s Rojiblancos cannot be written off, though. After an oddly cautious start on home soil, Atl\u00e9ti burst into life at the start of the second half, and they\u2019ll be confident of hurting the Gunners in north London.<\/p>\n
The visitors are aiming to reach the final for the third time since Simeone took over, but it\u2019s been a decade since they were last on club soccer\u2019s grandest stage.<\/p>\n
We shouldn\u2019t expect a repeat of the league phase outing, when Arsenal blew Atl\u00e9ti away in the second half to claim an emphatic 4\u20130 victory.<\/p>\n
The Gunners have stuttered their way through the run-in so far, but performed with a rediscovered swagger at the weekend in their 3\u20130 win over Fulham.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ll be tough to slow down if the spirit of Saturday is evoked on what\u2019s bound to be a tense and frantic night against an opponent who believe it may well be their destiny to win this competition for the very first time.<\/p>\n
Home advantage: Arsenal have been outstanding at the Emirates in the Champions League this season, winning all but one of their games\u2014the 0\u20130 draw with Sporting CP in the previous round.<\/p>\n
Arsenal\u2019s record vs. Spanish opposition: The Gunners have won seven of their previous eight games against Spanish opposition in this competition, and they\u2019re also unbeaten against Atl\u00e9ti.<\/p>\n
Atl\u00e9ti\u2019s road woes: Before they beat 10-man Barcelona at the Camp Nou to help them reach the last, Atl\u00e9ti had won just one of their previous six Champions League away games. They\u2019ve also lost in England three times this season, and been beaten in six of their last seven Champions League encounters against Premier League opposition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"