Arsenal to scale Atletico test in Champions League
Arsenal welcome Atletico Madrid to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final today. The first leg ended 1-1, leaving the tie firmly poised ahead of this clash. Arsenal head into this clash off the back of an impressive 3-0 win over Fulham, giving them a six-point buffer over Manchester City … The post Arsenal to scale Atletico test in Champions League appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
Black News 
Arsenal welcome Atletico Madrid to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final today.
The first leg ended 1-1, leaving the tie firmly poised ahead of this clash.
Arsenal head into this clash off the back of an impressive 3-0 win over Fulham, giving them a six-point buffer over Manchester City in the Premier League standings.
They will need a significantly improved performance to edge past Atletico.
Arsenal were the better side in the first half in Spain, but they could not sustain the momentum in the second period.
The Gunners are expected to dominate possession in this fixture, but need to take more attacking risks to break down Atletico.
They need to avoid turnovers and maintain a compact shape off the ball due to Atletico’s ability to play between the lines.
Mikel Arteta’s side have won five and drawn one of their six home fixtures in the competition. They are the favourites to add another victory to their tally.
Atletico won 2-0 at Valencia in La Liga on Saturday, putting them in good spirits ahead of this encounter.
Diego Simeone’s side ended the first leg as the better team and will aim to build on that performance.
The visitors are expected to defend in numbers and use their athleticism to press the hosts. They are likely to depend heavily on counter-attacks.
Atletico have to be more disciplined when defending, limiting Arsenal from getting into dangerous positions and silencing the home fans.
They have lost three out of six away games in the competition, but secured a vital victory at Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
Arsenal will be without Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino, while there is optimism that Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz will recover in time for this fixture.
Jose Maria Jimenez and Pablo Barrios are Atletico’s only injury concerns.-yahoo sports
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The post Arsenal to scale Atletico test in Champions League appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
