Gyökeres, Griezmann speak as Arsenal and Atletico Madrid face off in Champions League cracker
Forwards Viktor Gyökeres and Antoine Griezmann have weighed in on the UEFA Champions League second leg semi-final cracker involving Premier League side Arsenal and La Liga giants Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at the Emirates Stadium.
Match outlook
Viktor Gyökeres’ first-half penalty was cancelled out by Julián Alvarez in the first-leg in Spain, who also converted from the spot after the break, leaving the tie on a knife-edge heading to north London. Diego Simeone’s side carried the greater attacking threat as the first leg at the Estadio Metropolitano wore on, underlining Atleti’s firepower in their most prolific Champions League goalscoring season to date, with a club-record 35 goals, including ten from Alvarez.
What the players said
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Viktor Gyökeres, Arsenal forward: “I think we are in this position now for a reason. We’ve done very well throughout the season but of course now these games… are what it all comes down to, to get us over the line. It’s been incredible so far, what we have done, but we have to do it now.”
Antoine Griezmann, Atleti forward: “It’ll be a great game to play, to experience, and hopefully we can show the right attitude and handle the pressure. We’re one step away from another final. The team knows it and you there’s a lot of confidence in the camp. We need to be tactically and defensively sound, and continue the same standard we showed in the second half at home.”
Arsenal’s 4-0 win against the La Liga side on home soil in the league phase, when Gyökeres struck twice, will boost Mikel Arteta’s confidence, while Atleti’s recent record against English opposition offers further encouragement, with just two wins in their last 13 UEFA meetings (D3 L8). However, when the teams last met over two legs, in the 2017/18 Europa League semi-finals, Atleti edged the tie 2-1.
Both clubs are chasing a first European crown, but first Arsenal aim to reach a first final since 2005/06 and Atleti seek another opportunity to etch their name on the trophy after near misses in 2013/14 and 2015/16.
Match stats and facts
Arsenal won all eight games in the league phase, the first time that had been achieved in the new Champions League format, and have since eliminated Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 on aggregate and Sporting CP in the round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively.
Atleti were beaten 4-0 at the Arsenal Stadium on Matchday 3 but recovered to finish 14th in the league phase before defeating Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate in the knockout phase play-offs, Tottenham Hotspur 7-5 in the round of 16 and Barcelona 3-2 in an all-Spanish quarter-final.
This is the teams’ fifth meeting and third in 2025/26. Second-half goals from Gabriel (57), Gabriel Martinelli (64) and Viktor Gyökeres (67 70) gave Arsenal a 4-0 victory in north London on October 21, 2025.
The teams’ only fixtures before this season came in the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League semi-finals, a 1-1 draw in London in which Antoine Griezmann scored a late equaliser followed by a 1-0 home win for Atleti on their way to lifting the trophy.
The Matchday 3 win against Atletico was Arsenal’s seventh successive Champions League victory against Spanish opposition, a European Cup first for any club.
The Gunners are unbeaten in nine games against Spanish opposition (W7 D2).
Arsenal have lost only one of their last 15 home matches against Spanish clubs (W9 D5), winning the last three without conceding.
