Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:17 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:17 p.m.
Mikel Arteta, the coach of Arsenal, held the press conference ahead of the semi-final round of the Champions League against Atletico Madrid.
The Spaniard at the helm of the “gunners” named the absences for the match at the Metropolitano and spoke about Diego Simeone and the team that the Argentine managed to create.
Mikel Arteta: “Simeone and I share a passion for coaching”
“Havertz is not available, but Eze and Saka are fit. Timber is also out for tomorrow's game. The win against Newcastle gives us confidence. It's a great situation to be here, in a second semi-final in a row; it means a lot for the club and it's a huge opportunity. The team wants to dominate, have possession and be much more ambitious.
It will be a complicated match. Simeone is a coach with a lot of experience in this competition. They have every right to be here, because they have earned this place. It's incredible. We have proven that we are capable of many things. We have the confidence to win the match.
All opponents and all contexts are difficult. This scene demands the maximum. Matches have different moments and we will have to manage them well. There are positive moments that we can take advantage of. We learned things from last year's semi-final and tomorrow will be different. We know what they are capable of and we have extensive experience in such games,” Mikel Arteta said, according to as.com.
Mikel Arteta / Photo: Imago
Simeone and I share a passion for the game and for the profession. He is someone who has transformed this club for 15 years, with determination and rebellion in the face of any situation. I always admire such people. Everyone has their own style, the one that they feel, that they can implement and that the players allow, but he is an absolute landmark in many ways.
I focus on my team and my players. We have many tools in different phases of the game to dominate, create danger and avoid being put in trouble. So is Atlético, but with different qualities and a different profile of players. It will be a nice match, in which we want to impose ourselves.
It is not a matter of fear. They have many strengths, that's why they are here, just like us. The communion, the energy they generate here, the experience, the confidence that they have succeeded and the individual ability. When you get to this level, details matter.
– Mikel Arteta
We should not take this as guaranteed. Two years ago, we had seven seasons without reaching the semifinals. It's remarkable and we have to think about how much it cost us to get here. It will be very difficult. We have to be better. The quality of the completions was slightly poorer. We need to analyze why and improve in every aspect. Tomorrow we have to be exceptional against one of the top four teams in Europe.
–Mikel Artetaaccording to the cited source
