Arsenal next win for Champions League go sweet well well, as e go mark one special milestone for dem history.
The Gunners fit reach dat level on Tuesday night when dem go jam Atletico Madrid for Emirates Stadium for di league phase.
If Mikel Arteta fit knack Diego Simeone for dis midweek match, Arsenal go dey celebrate dem 100th win for di Champions League proper, and e go still extend dem current unbeaten run wey don already break record.
Match Preview
Two matches, two wins, four goals scored, zero conceded — na only small wahala Arsenal fans fit complain say dem never hammer Athletic Bilbao and Olympiacos by bigger margin.
But make we no lie, 2-0 win over di Spanish big boys and di Greek champions still show say Arsenal dey among di six teams wey get perfect six points from dem first two games. Only Inter Milan never concede goal like dem.
Right now, Arsenal dey fifth for di Champions League league-phase table, just small points behind di big boys — Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich, and Inter. As e be, dat position still sure dem direct qualification to di round of 16 if dem maintain di fire.
Di win wey dem get over Athletic for matchday one na dem sixth straight victory against Spanish club for Champions League — no other team don do dat before. So e clear say dem fit make am seven when dem meet Atletico for Tuesday.
Arteta boys also dey enjoy one hot run of form. Dem don win five straight games for all competitions, including di 1-0 Premier League victory over Fulham for weekend. For Champions League matter, dem don win 11 straight league phase/group-stage home matches without conceding a single goal — dat one na madness level consistency.
As for Atletico, dem no fit brag say dem defense still solid like before under Simeone, but dem show attacking firepower for di 5-1 demolition wey dem give Eintracht Frankfurt on September 30.
Dat result wipe away di pain of di 3-2 loss wey dem collect from Liverpool for Anfield earlier. Di victory push dem enter top 10 for di table and narrow di gap to Manchester City wey dey eighth by just one point.
After dat kind performance, Atletico continue with di ginger — dem don win three straight matches before Celta Vigo hold dem 1-1 for La Liga, but dem bounce back sharp sharp with 1-0 win over Osasuna thanks to Thiago Almada goal.
Di form dey hot, but di matter be say dem never win any away game dis season — two losses, three draws from five travels. Dat one fit wahala dem for London.
Dem last time visit Emirates Stadium na during 2017-18 Europa League semi-final. Di first leg end 1-1, but dem later beat Arsenal 1-0 for Madrid and later carry di trophy after dem hammer Marseille for final. But things don change, Arsenal now get better flow, style, and rhythm under Arteta.
For goals matter, Atletico don score for all dem 11 competitive games dis season, so dem go still test Arsenal defense small. But as Arsenal home record for Europe dey strong like granite, e go hard for Simeone boys to break through.
Arsenal Champions League Form:
W W
Arsenal Form (All Competitions):
W W W W W
Atletico Madrid Champions League Form:
L W
Atletico Madrid Form (All Competitions):
W W D W
Team News
Arsenal come out from di Fulham match with no serious injury, but Piero Hincapie still dey doubt for di Atletico game because of di groin wahala wey keep am out since. Even though e don return small to team training last week, e still fit miss di Tuesday game.
Di likes of Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus still dey injury list with knee problems.
Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice go need watch yellow cards matter because if dem collect am on Tuesday, dem go miss di next match against Slavia Prague.
Arteta no too send dat suspension risk, but because of di plenty talent for squad, e fit rotate small. Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Martinelli fit come in. Arsenal bench strong like wetin.
As for Atletico, wahala small happen for weekend win over Osasuna as Nico Gonzalez collect head injury before halftime.
But e don pass concussion test and go dey available, even though e no sure say Simeone go start am. Simeone pikin, Giuliano Simeone, replace am for dat match, but other options dey like Thiago Almada, Javi Galan, Matteo Ruggeri, and former Chelsea man Conor Gallagher for dat left side.
Johnny Cardoso still dey out with ankle injury, but Clement Lenglet don return from suspension and fit start for defense. Atletico no short of midfield and attack options at all — Griezmann, Alvarez, and Almada fit cause wahala upfront.
Arsenal Possible Starting Lineup:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli
Atletico Madrid Possible Starting Lineup:
Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggeri; Simeone, Barrios, Gallagher, Almada; Griezmann, Alvarez
Match Prediction
We dey see dis match end Arsenal 2-1 Atletico Madrid. Even though Atletico attack dey dangerous dis season and Oblak don still dey show him class for goalpost, dem no be di same defensive rock like before. Arsenal fit finally concede, but dem still get enough fire to bite back harder and maintain dem 100% winning record for dis Champions League run.
Atletico go try frustrate dem with tight defense and counter-attacks, but Arteta boys don show say dem sabi find breakthrough even for tight games. Expect Saka and Gyokeres to dey dangerous, while Rice go hold di midfield tight. Arsenal just get dat balance wey Atletico never regain since dem golden era. Dis one go be hot tactical war, but na Arsenal go carry am for Emirates.
Live Update
Dis page go dey updated regularly with all di latest team news, lineup changes, and match developments as e dey happen. Na LIVE update we dey run, so make you dey refresh or check back from time to time for di freshest gist as e drop.
