Atletico welcome Arsenal to the Estadio Metropolitano on Wednesday night in what should be an intense clash looking to book their place in the final against either Bayern Munich or holders Paris Saint-Germain at the Puskas Arena.
The Spanish sent 10-man Barcelona crashing out of the Champions League and reached the final four with a 3-2 aggregate victory in the last round whilst Arsenal narrowly bypassed Sporting.
Arsenal are hoping to reach their first Champions League final since 2006 as Arteta decides on his game plan ahead of tonight’s clash which fans will hope will be as exciting as PSG’s clash with Bayern.
Arteta has decided not to include Kai Havertz, Mikel Merino and Jurrien Timber in the squad to face the La Liga side however, as he decides to rest the trio ahead of this weekend’s game against Fulham.
Atletico have prevailed in 11 of their last 15 European two-legged ties against English opposition, including all three semi-finals and news that 3 Arsenal stars are out will only boost their confidence.
The two clubs have only faced each other on three occasions, with each winning one game and one match ending as a draw. Arteta will look to Viktor Gyokeres in attack, Declan Rice in midfield and Gabriel in defense to cover the trio’s absence.