At a Glance:
- Arsenal face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.
- The Spanish side come into this tie in poor form.
- Gary Neville has had his say on the Gunners’ European credentials this season.
Arsenal have the chance to reach their first Champions League final since 2006 when they take on Atletico Madrid over two legs in the next few weeks.
The Gunners have impressed in Europe’s elite competition so far this season, winning all eight games in the League Phase before easing past Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting CP in their two knockout matches. A semi-final against Atletico awaits, and the North Londoners will be confident heading to the Wanda Metropolitano next week, given they thrashed Diego Simeone’s outfit back in October at the Emirates.
However, it’s more recent events that should fill Mikel Arteta’s men with even more excitement heading into this enormous tie.
Gary Neville doesn’t think Arsenal can win the Champions League
After narrowly missing out on the final last season, Arsenal will be eager to go one step further this campaign. The Gunners were beaten 3-1 by Paris Saint-Germain on aggregate, in what was a relatively even tie, which was ultimately defined by some stunning saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Despite their semi-final opponents currently sitting in fourth place in La Liga, Gary Neville isn’t confident about Arsenal’s Champions League credentials. Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, the divisive pundit asked Ian Wright whether he thinks Arteta’s outfit will win the European competition for the first time this term.
“Yeah, very good chance,” Wright replied.
“I’m not so sure,” Neville responded.
“That’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it,” said Wright.
Given Arsenal’s recent struggles, Neville has every right to be sceptical of Arsenal’s ability to navigate a potential final against one of Bayern Munich or PSG. However, being able to overcome Atletico Madrid is a very different question, and one Arsenal should be able to answer.
If they do reach the final, anything can then happen in a one-off match.
Atletico Madrid are on a dire run of form heading into Arsenal clash
While Atletico did well to beat Barcelona over two legs in the quarter-final, the circumstances around that game mean Arsenal shouldn’t fear the Madrid team. The Catalan giants had centre-backs sent off in both games, while Hansi Flick’s side still comfortably dominated the expected goals battle.
This, along with Atletico’s dire recent run of form, should fill Arsenal with confidence. Simeone’s side just lost away at Elche, who currently rank 15th in the Spanish top flight.
This defeat marked Atletico’s sixth loss in their last eight matches across all competitions. Their only win in this period came at the Camp Nou in the first leg of the quarter-final tie with Barcelona, when Pau Cubarsi was dismissed on the stroke of half-time.
This run includes a defeat away at relegation-threatened Tottenham, a loss at relegation-threatened Sevilla and a Copa Del Rey final defeat on penalties to Real Sociedad. Simeone’s team are in turmoil, and given Arsenal have already beaten them this season, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be optimistic about doing it again, despite their own recent struggles.
Atletico Madrid have won one of their last eight games — their Champions League first leg quarter-final tie against Barcelona… pic.twitter.com/oVP8veHCqg
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) April 22, 2026
If Arsenal do progress into the final, they’ll have a straight shootout against a team they competed with well last season in PSG or a team they comfortably beat in the league phase in Bayern. Arteta’s men have every chance of winning the Champions League in Budapest, proving Neville wrong and ultimately making the pundit look very silly.
