Arteta Sends Clear Message Ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League Semi-Final

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has made his intentions clear ahead of their Champions League semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night in Spain.

Speaking at the Metropolitano Stadium after arriving for the clash, Arteta outlined his team’s mindset, confirmed key team news and set the tone for what he expects to be a high-level European encounter.

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Team news and selection updates

Arteta confirmed that Kai Havertz will miss the match, while Emile Smith Rowe is available.

He also provided clarity on other key players.

“Riccardo is available tomorrow,” Arteta said, confirming Riccardo Calafiori is fit.

There was no clear return date for Jurrien Timber.

“We don’t know yet. He’s doing some stuff on the pitch at the moment, but we need to get the gears up and be able to do more things before he can compete with us.”

Confidence after Newcastle win

Arsenal head into the semi-final with momentum following a strong result against Newcastle.

“After that massive win against Newcastle, I took away the energy, the confidence coming into this game,” Arteta said.

“It’s a massive privilege to be here again, two years in a row at the same part of the Champions League, representing our club.”

“We have an opportunity, we’re going to grab it with both hands.”

A tough test against Atletico Madrid

Arteta expects a demanding match against a side with deep European experience.

“A really tough match. They’re a team that has so much experience in the competition,” he said.

“We know the difficulty of the match, but I think we have shown in Europe, in any ground, what we are capable of.”

“We have to play with that confidence, with that desire and that will, to come here to win the game.”

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Focus on making a statement

Arteta believes his team has earned the right to compete at this level and now needs to deliver.

“This is the status that we want, and we have earned it through incredible work, passion and quality,” he said.

“Now is the moment to make a statement, and show how good we are, how much we want it, and make it happen.”

Tactical discipline will be key

Arteta highlighted the importance of managing key moments in the match.

“There are things that obviously have to be highlighted, whether it’s their strengths or their weaknesses,” he said.

“Especially against them, there are moments in games and we have to manage that so well to be successful.”

No distractions, full focus

The Arsenal manager dismissed comparisons to previous results against top teams.

“There are a lot of positive messages that I can send to the team,” he said.

“Tomorrow’s game is going to be a completely different one, especially playing here.”

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Respect for Simeone

Arteta also praised Atletico manager Diego Simeone.

“The passion for the game, for the profession,” he said.

“He’s someone who has transformed this club in 15 years. I have always admired him.”

Clear objective for the first leg

Arsenal’s approach is simple.

“That’s what we want to do, we have prepared the game to win it,” Arteta said.

“We have to be ourselves and do what we do constantly.”

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