Atletico Madrid will look to secure their place in a fourth Champions League final in club history when they host Arsenal at the Metropolitano Stadium...
Atletico Madrid will look to secure their place in a fourth Champions League final in club history when they host Arsenal at the Metropolitano Stadium this evening. The semi final first leg clash kicks off at 21:00 CEST, and the powers that be at both clubs have been left to shuffle their packs after demanding weekend fixtures that have robbed them of key personnel. For the home side, the Nigerian international Ademola Lookman is widely expected to earn a place in the starting XI. The Super Eagles talisman has been in formidable form of late, showing clinical finishing and a resilience that has endeared him to the Los Colchoneros faithful. In the scheme of things, his inclusion could prove decisive against an Arsenal side that will be missing several of their own stalwarts through suspension and injury. The visitors from North London will be desperate to give a good account of themselves on foreign soil. With their own creative heartbeat perhaps not at full throttle, they will rely on the lion's share of possession and disciplined defending to leave Madrid with a result. The Metropolitano is a cauldron, and Arsenal will need to show tremendous character to avoid being overrun in the middle of the pitch. At the end of the day, this tie is finely balanced. Both managers know that one moment of magic from a player like Lookman or a slip at the back could decide the outcome before the second leg. No side can afford to be passive in such a high stakes encounter. Here in Lagos and Abuja, the viewing centres will be packed with fans draped in the colours of both clubs. When Lookman collects the ball on the flank, the collective roar in Surulere will shake the rafters. Men in agbada and young lads in Arsenal jerseys alike will leap from their plastic chairs, shouting advice that cannot possibly reach Madrid. And when the final whistle blows, whether in joy or disappointment, the discussion will continue well into the night over plates of jollof rice and cold bottles of Malta Guinness. This is what Champions League football does to us. It unites us, it divides us, but it always leaves us hungry for more.
