Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Atleti beat Barcelona on aggregate in the last round but have lost six of their last nine fixtures overall. Arsenal won 4-0 when these clubs met last October.

Atletico Madrid Form

Atletico have lost six of their last nine matches in all competitions. They beat Tottenham 7-2 on aggregate despite losing 3-2 in the second leg. Successive La Liga defeats followed, losing 3-2 at Real Madrid and 2-1 at home to Barcelona. They are a full 25 points off the summit in La Liga and sit fourth.

Since those losses, they’ve beaten Barcelona 2-0 away in the Champions League vs ten men. They rested everyone in a 2-1 league loss at Sevilla before losing 2-1 at home to ten-man Barcelona, though they progressed on aggregate. Their poor form continued in domestic action by losing the Copa del Rey final on penalties to Real Sociedad and losing 3-2 at Elche in La Liga. Their last match saw a 3-2 home win over Athletic Bilbao.

Atletico Madrid Team News

Pablo Barrios is ruled out in midfield. Ademola Lookman will need a late fitness test to determine his involvement in this match.

Jose Maria Gimenez is a doubt at centre back after missing the last six matches. David Hancko is set to return in defence, while Julian Alvarez should shake off a muscle injury to play some part.

Atletico Madrid Motivation

Atletico’s full focus is on the Champions League. They’ve looked distracted in league games over recent weeks.

They know they need a first-leg win. A compact setup is expected, but they will look to get bodies forward at times.

Arsenal Form

Arsenal’s last seven matches have seen four losses. They sit top of the EPL table, but Man City have a game in hand. A 2-1 loss at Southampton in the FA Cup journey was followed by a 1-0 win away to Sporting Lisbon. A 2-1 home loss to Bournemouth was a big blow to their title hopes.

The Gunners drew 0-0 in a dull second leg versus Sporting Lisbon to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. A key 2-1 loss followed away to Man City as Arsenal missed four big chances. On Saturday, they did enough to beat Newcastle 1-0 and return to the top of the table.

Arsenal Team News

Eberechi Eze and Kai Havertz went off injured in the win over Newcastle. Mikel Arteta is hoping that both players can be fit to start this match. Martin Zubimendi should shake off an illness to start.

Jurrien Timber is very doubtful and this match may come too soon for him. Mikel Merino is ruled out, but Riccardo Calafiori should be available.

Arsenal Motivation

Arsenal are hugely motivated to reach the Champions League final. They will have real belief that they can get past Atletico to face PSG or Bayern in the showpiece.

This game will take top priority. Arsenal host Fulham on Saturday, but all attention will be on this match. A solid approach is likely, as they look for a win and a clean sheet.

Key Stats

• Atletico Madrid have lost 6 of their last 9 matches
• Atlético are unbeaten in CL KO matches vs English Clubs at their home ground (won 3, drew 3)
• Arsenal have lost 4 of their last 7 matches (unbeaten in 14 before that)
• Arsenal beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 in October 2025

Verdict

A tight match awaits. Arsenal will try to win, but a draw would be a great result.

Best Bet: Arsenal win/draw double chance + Under 3.5 goals at 1.72

Value Bet: Draw at 3.25