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After impressively beating Athletic Bilbao at the San Mamés on the opening matchday, the Gunners overcame Greek giants Olympiacos in North London. Both matches ended in the same 2-0 scoreline, leaving Arsenal sitting fifth in the 36-club Champions League table.
Mikel Arteta’s men have also made an extremely positive start to the new Premier League campaign, having amassed 16 points from their first seven fixtures ahead of Saturday’s trip to Craven Cottage. A disappointing 1-0 loss to title rivals Liverpool has been the only notable blip in an otherwise near-perfect sequence of results, so confidence is currently high amongst the Emirates faithful.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid’s early-season form has been punctuated with inconsistency. This is perfectly illustrated by Los Colchoneros' three most recent performances, having put five past arch-rivals Real Madrid and Champions League opponents Eintracht Frankfurt before labouring to a 1-1 draw with Celta Vigo at the beginning of the month. Atléti’s 5-1 hammering of the Bundesliga outfit helped to soften the pain of September’s heartbreaking defeat to Liverpool, which saw Virgil van Dijk’s late header deny them a hard-earned point at Anfield.
Tuesday’s bout between these two European heavyweights will be shown exclusively live on Amazon Prime, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 (BST). Following the referee’s final whistle, subscribers can also access a full match replay and an extended highlights package.
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid: Key information
Date: Tuesday, October 21st
Kick-off time: 20:00 (BST)
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
Referee: Davide Massa
TV Channels/Live stream: Amazon Prime
Odds: Arsenal: 11/20, Draw: 31/10, Atlético Madrid: 19/4
Odds provided by bet365
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid team news
It seems that both teams emerged relatively unscathed from the recent international break, with no fresh injury concerns reported by any returning players.
Although he’s usually adopted a conservative approach against challenging opposition, Diego Simeone released the shackles against Real Madrid and Liverpool to great effect.
Only Manchester City have racked up more Premier League goals than Arsenal this season, as Arteta continues to encourage a more direct brand of football.
Therefore, we’ll hopefully see two attacking line-ups on Tuesday evening…
Arsenal team news
Piero Hincapié remains sidelined with a groin strain, having barely featured since joining the Gunners from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen on an initial season-long loan deal. The Ecuadorian centre-back’s debut against Athletic Bilbao remains his only appearance for Arsenal, but he has at least returned to full training.
Mikel Arteta has a long list of stars currently out with knee injuries, although three of this crocked quartet are due to return before next month’s duel with familiar foes Tottenham Hotspur. Club captain Martin Ødegaard has endured a frustrating start to the new campaign, having struggled with a shoulder problem before injuring his medial collateral ligament during Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over West Ham. A fortnight earlier, Noni Madueke was withdrawn at the interval against Manchester City after developing a knee issue in the opening 45 minutes. Kai Havertz is also recovering from a knee complaint, which compelled him to undergo surgery in the summer.
However, Gabriel Jesus is set to miss the remainder of the calendar year. The Brazilian striker tore his anterior cruciate ligament during last season’s FA Cup third round defeat to Manchester United, resulting in him spending an extended spell on the treatment table.
The absence of Martin Ødegaard produces a question mark over who will partner Declan Rice and Martín Zubimendi in midfield, with either Eberechi Eze or Mikel Merino expected to start. After netting in both of Arsenal’s opening two Champions League fixtures, Gabriel Martinelli is hoping to dislodge Leandro Trossard on the left-hand side of the front three. Viktor Gyökeres will once again lead the line, having settled well in North London after leaving Sporting Lisbon during the summer. After netting each of his opening three goals for Arsenal at the Emirates – a brace in the 5-0 hammering of Leeds United and a tidy finish against Nottingham Forest – the Swedish marksman will be confident he can find his way onto the scoresheet on Tuesday evening.
Arsenal predicted line-up v Atletico Madrid (4-3-3)
Coach: Mikel Arteta
David Raya (GK), Jurriën Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Riccardo Calafiori, Eberechi Eze, Martín Zubimendi,
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyökeres, Gabriel Martinelli
Atletico Madrid team news
Diego Simeone’s squad has been decimated throughout the early stages of the campaign, with the absence of several new arrivals a particular point of frustration for the charismatic Argentinian.
Summer signings Johnny Cardoso and Thiago Almada have only managed to make three league appearances as a result of ongoing injuries, while fellow new recruit Álex Baena is yet to reach full fitness following a bout of appendicitis. The Spanish winger made a handful of substitute appearances ahead of the international break, but could be in contention to start against Arsenal.
José María Giménez continues his long-term rehabilitation after sustaining a hamstring injury during the Club World Cup, but there are no further clues as to when the Uruguayan will return. Stepping up to Simeone’s first-team squad for the recent friendly meeting with Inter Milan turned out to be a disastrous experience for 22-year-old defender Ilias Kostis, who usually represents the club’s reserve outfit in the Spanish third-tier. The former Greek youth international tore his ACL following an innocuous challenge late on at the Benghazi International Stadium, rendering him unavailable for the rest of the season.
Reserve goalkeeper Juan Musso missed the recent trip to Galicia due to illness, but is set to assume his usual place on the substitute’s bench on Tuesday evening. Having served a one-match suspension over the weekend, Clément Lenglet will likely return to partner Robin Le Normand in central defence.
There’s a question mark over whether Simeone will deploy conventional full-back Matteo Ruggeri, or ask Dávid Hancko to continue in his makeshift role on the left-hand side of Atléti’s back four. Antoine Griezmann will expect to start after registering his 200th goal for the club against Eintracht Frankfurt, while Giacomo Raspadori may be recalled following recent strong performances in Europe.
Atletico Madrid predicted line-up v Arsenal (4-4-2)
Coach: Diego Simeone
Jan Oblak (GK), Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand, Clément Lenglet, Dávid Hancko, Giuliano Simeone, Pablo Barrios, Koke,
Giacomo Raspadori, Antoine Griezmann, Julián Alvarez
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
As part of their lucrative three-year broadcasting agreement with UEFA, Amazon have first-pick on Champions League fixtures every Tuesday evening. The Gunners’ clash with Atlético Madrid has been selected for coverage in gameweek three, enabling Prime customers to stream the match for free.
Gabby Logan will be joined in the studio by former Arsenal stars Gaël Clichy and Theo Walcott, with regular pundit Clarence Seedorf also in attendance. Commentary will be provided by Jon Champion and Alan Shearer.
Head-to-Head record
Despite their regular participation in UEFA competition, Arsenal and Atlético Madrid have surprisingly only met in one previous continental tie.
The two teams were paired together at the semi-final stage of the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League campaign, after both survived scares in the last eight to progress. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw, after Alexandre Lacazette’s opener was cancelled out by a late Antoine Griezmann strike. Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa then grabbed the only goal at the Metropolitano, as the hosts booked their place in the final.
Atleti went on to win the showpiece in Lyon, securing their fourth piece of major European silverware after defeating Marseille at the Groupama Stadium.
Odds for Arsenal v Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid: 19/4 (bet365)
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365