Champions League: Arsenal Get Big Ahead of Semi-Final Against Atletico Madrid

• Arsenal will have an important advantage when they play Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League
• The Gunners eliminated Sporting CP while Atletico won at the expense of Barcelona despite losing the second game
• A UEFA rule introduced this season, following Arsenal’s complaint, has seen the Gunners gain an advantage in the knockout rounds

Arsenal advanced to their second consecutive Champions League semi-final after beating Sporting CP on Wednesday night.

A goalless draw at the Emirates meant Kai Havertz’s last-minute winner in Lisbon last week was the difference as Mikel Arteta’s side reached the last four in their pursuit of their first title.

Arsenal’s complaint to UEFA

And the squad is expected to get more boosts thanks to the new UEFA rules introduced at the start of this season.

Arsenal, who were knocked out of the Champions League by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals last season, complained to UEFA about the unfair placement of teams in the knockout rounds.

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The Gunners, who finished third in the league, had to play away in the second legs of their matches against Real Madrid (quarterfinals) and PSG (semifinals) despite the two teams finishing lower than them in the league phase.

What Champions League advantage does Arsenal have?

However, that changed this season as UEFA introduced a new clause that rewards the best players in the league phase with the second leg being played at home, which is often considered a huge advantage.

“The seeded teams, i.e. the teams seeded 1 to 4 after the league stage, play a second leg at home in the quarter-finals, and the teams seeded 1 and 2 also play a semi-final second leg at home. If the seeded team loses in any round, the team that eliminated them takes their place in the bracket route (ie, the top position for the purpose of climbing is no longer counted after each round),” reads UEFA’s document.

When will Arsenal be against Atletico Madrid?

Therefore, Arsenal will need to ‘endure’ the first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano on April 29, knowing full well that they will have home advantage for the second leg a week later on May 5.

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The same benefit will apply to Bayern Munichwho, after beating Real Madrid at home in the second leg, will also start the semi-final against PSG in France before the defending champions travel to Munich. Vincent Kompany’s team was second behind Arsenal in the league stage.

Supercomputer predicts the winner of the Champions League

In another report, Opta’s supercomputer predicted who would win the Champions League after the four semi-finalists were confirmed.

Arsenal and Atletico are chasing their first Champions League titles, while PSG and Bayern have won before.

PSG will be looking to become the first team to win consecutive years since Real Madrid won the treble.

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