Significant changes predicted in midfield and in attack that will.propel Arsenal in the final of the CL

By Danong 

Arsenal are back in action on Tuesday, hosting Atlético Madrid at the Emirates Stadium in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

The first leg ended all square, with the two sides playing out a 1-1 draw at the Wanda Metropolitano. Tuesday night, however, a winner must emerge, and Arsenal will be hoping that on familiar ground, they are the ones who come out on top.

Earlier in the season, when the Gunners hosted Atletico in the Champions League league phase, they thrashed them 4-0. A similar result on Tuesday night will book the north Londoners a place in the 2026 Champions League final, set for the Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday, 30 May.

On Saturday, Mikel Arteta reintroduced Ricardo Calafiori and Bukayo Saka in his starting 11 in that convincing 3-0 win over Fulham, with Myles Lewis-Skelly replacing Martin Zubimendi in midfield also proving another astute tactical call.

Against the La Liga outfit, Gooners will be hoping Arteta produces similarly sharp thinking to outwit Diego Simeone.

Notably, the Arsenal boss is boosted by the availability of both Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard, a significant lift ahead of such a high-stakes occasion.

With the returning duo back in the squad alongside the formidable side Arteta fielded on Saturday, Atletico have every reason to be worried.

Arteta could opt to play:

Raya

White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie

Rice, Odegaard, Eze

Saka, Havertz, Trossard

With this line-up, Arteta would be making some bold and necessary calls, the most significant being up front, Havertz for Gyökeres and choosing an attack oriented midfield by dropping Zubimendi for Odegaard. 

While Victor Gyokeres reminded everyone at the weekend just what a deadly finisher he is, Havertz represents the better option against Atletico. The German international's movement and work rate suit the demands of a tight two-legged tie far better.

His technical brilliance, alongside Eberechi Eze and Odegaard, could prove the key to unlocking Atletico's typically resolute defence, creating the openings for Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard to capitalise on.

That line-up should comfortably be too strong for Atletico, and could see Arsenal take a decisive step closer to European glory.