Table of Contents
Arsenal are headed to their first UEFA Champions League final since 2006 and will hope to lift club football's most prestigious trophy for the first time ever on May 31 after beating Atletico Madrid in north London on Tuesday.
MORE — Bayern Munich (4) vs PSG (5)
Bukayo Saka scored the second leg's only goal in the 45th minute, when he put back Leandro Trossard's shot which was initially saved by Jan Oblak. The ball bounced away from Oblak inside the six-yard box and Saka was quickest to it.
Whereas the first leg in Madrid opened up and became an end-to-end affair after the break, Arsenal did an immense job to keep the second leg tight and heavily contested at every turn. Atletico Madrid had just nine shots on the night (two on target), totaling 0.53 xG.
Arsenal will face either PSG or Bayern Munich in Budapest, Hungary on May 31. PSG lead 5-4 with the second leg to be played in Bavaria on Wednesday.
Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid live updates – by Andy Edwards
Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid final score: 1-0 (2-1 agg.)
Goalscorers: Bukayo Saka (45')
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 (2-1 agg.) Atleti: Saka scores right before halftime (45')
IT HAD TO BE BUKAYO SAKA ⭐ pic.twitter.com/CaTKaIGu1a
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 5, 2026
Arsenal starting XI
Raya – White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori – Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Eze – Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres
Atletico Madrid starting XI
Oblak – Ruggeri, Hacko, Pubill, Le Normand – Koke, Llorente, Simeone, Lookman – Griezmann, Alvarez
How to watch Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid live, stream link and start time
Kick off time:3pm ET Tuesday (May 5)
Venue:Emirates Stadium — North London
TV Channel/Streaming: Paramount+
Mikel Arteta's side are the favorites to advance to just a second Champions League final in club history, but they will be extremely wary of Atletico's penchant for thriving in the underdog role. Arsenal beat Fulham 3-0 at the weekend to stay right in the hunt for the Premier League title too, as a much-improved attacking display has given the Gunners plenty of confidence heading into this massive game.
Diego Simeone's side are made for this kind of situation and have reached two previous Champions League finals under him, losing both to bitter rivals Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016. Almost 10 years on from their last appearance in the final, Atleti are still the stubborn, tenacious team they've always been under Simeone but they have more attacking power this season and will relish the role of spoilers.
Arsenal team news, focus
Jurrien Timber remains out injured while Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are doubts. Martin Zubimendi should come back in to start in central midfield, while having Bukayo Saka back fit is huge and he will start on the right wing and provide an extra spark. Piero Hincapie is likely to come back in to start over Riccardo Calafiori at left back, while Cristhian Mosquera is pushing for a start at right back over Ben White.
Atletico Madrid team news, focus
With Champions League qualification basically wrapped up, Atleti have been resting their main players for league games for some time now and this weekend was no different as Simeone changed his entire starting lineup in the 2-0 win. Forwards Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez and Ademola Lookman are a real handful, especially on the break, and will force Arsenal to perhaps not flood forward as much. Veteran goalkeeper Jan Oblak is back fit and making a big difference, while it will be intriguing to see how the USMNT's Johnny Cardoso get on in central midfield alongside legendary captain Koke.
Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid prediction
My word, this is going to be tense. Arsenal are the favorites and will just about get over the line, but it may take extra time. Arsenal 2-1 Atletico Madrid (Arsenal win 3-2 on aggregate).
