Arsenal v Atletico Madrid live: Score and updates as Gunners welcome Diego Simeone’s team in Champions League – UK Times

Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Zubimendi, Eze; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.

Atletico Madrid XI: Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Le Normand, Hancko; Guiliano, Barrios, Koke, Gonzalez; Sorloth, Alvarez.

Arsenal recorded a famous win against a club from Madrid in the Champions League last season. Their victims were Real, not Atletico, but a meeting with the Spanish capital’s other power offers a chance to build on a fine start to this season.

Of their six remaining Champions League group games, three look distinctly winnable, the other three – Atletico, Bayern and Inter – tougher. But Arsenal have six points already, the prospect of nine to come and thus could only need a couple from those tougher games to book a top-eight finish.

Arsenal are one of only two sides – along with Internazionale – who haven’t conceded a goal in the UEFA Champions League this season. The Gunners rank first for xG against (0.85) in the competition this term, while they have held their opponents to under one xG in seven of their 10 league phase matches since the start of last term (0.35 v Athletic Club and 0.5 v Olympiakos this season).

Bukayo Saka has been directly involved in 17 goals in 19 appearances in the UEFA Champions League (11 goals, six assists). Since his debut in the competition on 20th September 2023, Saka has the second best minutes per goal involvement ratio of any winger (89 – min. 500 minutes played), only behind Barcelona’s Raphinha (69).

Here’s a list of the other matches in the Champions League today:

(kick-off at 8pm BST unless specified)

Barcelona vs Olympiacos (5.45pm BST)

Kairat vs Pafos (5.45pm BST)

Villarreal vs Manchester City

Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid

Royale Union Saint-Gilloise vs Inter Milan

Atlético Madrid have never won away to an English side in the group/league phase of the UEFA Champions League, failing in all five attempts to date (D2 L3), and including a 4-0 defeat in London (versus Chelsea in October 2009.

Arsenal have won each of their last six games against Spanish teams, beating four different opponents in this run (Real Madrid x2, Sevilla x2, Girona and Athletic Club). This is already the longest winning run by a team against Spanish opposition in UEFA Champions League history.

These two sides have faced each other just twice in Uefa competition, with those matches coming in the Europa League in 2017/18.

A semi-final first-leg tie at the Emirates ended 1-1 before Atleti won 1-0 at home to take a place in the final, with the Spanish side eventually beating Marseille to lift the trophy in Lyon.

Arsenal are fifth as one of six clubs with a perfecr record so far, while Atletico are in 10th.

Viktor Gyokeres does not need goals to be a “problem” for opposition defences, according to to ex-Arsenal winger Theo Walcott.

Mikel Arteta has made just two changes to the side that beat Fulham last time out, with Myles Lewis-Skelly coming in to replace Riccardo Calafiori at left-back and Gabriel Martinelli taking the place of Leandro Trossard.

Viktor Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka will support the Brazilian in attack, while the midfield three of Ebere Eze, Declan rice and Martin Zubimendi continues at the Emirates.