UEFA Champions League: Supercomputer Predicts Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal
- Opta's supercomputer predicted Atletico Madrid and Arsenal’s chances of winning their UEFA Champions League tie
- Arsenal and Atletico Madrid have a semi-final date in Madrid on Wednesday and the second leg in London a week later
- Both teams are the only two sides yet to win the Champions League that remain in the last four of this season's competition
Opta’s supercomputer has rated the chances of winning for each team ahead of the UEFA Champions League semi-final match between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid.
The first leg will take place at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, and the second leg at the Emirates Stadium in London on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.
Source: Getty Images
Arsenal beat Sporting Lisbon 1-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, while Atletico Madrid defeated Spanish rivals Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate in the last eight.
The semi-final match will be the second meeting between the two sides in the Champions League this season. Arsenal thrashed Atletico 4-0 in the group stage.
Supercomputer predicts Atletico vs Arsenal
According to The Analyst, Opta's supercomputer has predicted the chances of each team’s victory in the first leg in Madrid, with Arsenal having the upper hand.
Diego Simeone’s side has a 33.6% chance of winning the first leg at home, while Mikel Arteta’s side is favoured at 36.9%, and the chance of a draw is 29.5%.
However, Arsenal has a tough task at hand if its status as the odds-on favourite is to be realised, as the hosts have won five home matches this season, losing only two.
The Gunners have been formidable on the road too, winning five matches and drawing one, making it a potentially closely contested match in Madrid.
What the managers said
Diego Simeone, speaking after his side’s 3-2 win over Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, claimed that his side reached the semi-finals through hard work and must do more against Arsenal.
“It’s been a struggle for Atlético to reach the Champions League semi-finals and finals. We’ve built this through hard work and with the support of our fans,” he said as quoted by Into the Calderon.
“We need them more than ever, and hopefully we can give them what they want on the field.”
Mikel Arteta was delighted with Arsenal’s win over Newcastle United at the weekend, which puts them back at the top of the Premier League table.
Source: Getty Images
Arteta hopes to replicate the same success when they travel to Madrid, as they continue to fight on two fronts after elimination from the cups.
“I'm happy that we have a beautiful trip to Madrid to play the semi-final of the Champions League. It doesn't happen very often, so recover, and we're going to start to talk about Atletico now, and we'll go for it,” he said as quoted by Arsenal.com.
Lookman sends message to Arsenal
Legit.ng previously reported that Ademola Lookman sent a message to Arsenal ahead of their UEFA Champions League semi-final tie in Madrid.
The January signing was confident that Atletico would get a result at home in front of their fans despite acknowledging Arsenal as a tough opponent.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
