Riccardo Calafiori and Matteo Ruggeri are included in the starting lineups as Arsenal faces Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League final on Tuesday evening.
The first leg of this Champions League semi-final concluded with a 1-1 draw at the Metropolitano, with goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Julian Alvarez, both from the penalty spot, leaving the tie evenly poised for tonight’s second leg, which kicks off at 20:00 BST.
Calafiori retains his spot in the Arsenal starting XI following an impressive performance against Fulham in the Premier League over the weekend. The Italian international had a goal disallowed by VAR in the closing stages of Saturday’s match at The Emirates.
The former Roma and Bologna defender had been sidelined for four matches across all competitions due to a knock prior to the first leg, and was an unused substitute in the opening game. This marks the first time since December that Calafiori has started two consecutive matches for Arsenal.
Ruggeri also maintains his position at left-back in the Atletico Madrid lineup. The former Atalanta wing-back has featured in 12 of Atletico’s 15 Champions League appearances this season and was among several key players rested by Diego Simeone for the recent LaLiga match against Valencia.
Former Atalanta player Ademola Lookman is also in Atletico’s starting lineup, while ex-Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso is listed among Simeone’s substitutes.
Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid: Confirmed Line-ups
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Eze, Trossard; Gyokeres.
Substitutes: Kepa, Setford, Mosquera, Hincapie, Havertz, Odegaard, Norgaard, G.Jesus, Martinelli, Zubimendi, Dowman, Madueke.
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Oblak; Pubill, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri; Giuliano, Llorente, Koke, Lookman; Alvarez, Griezmann.
Substitutes: Musso, Gimenez, Lenglet, Molina, Bonar, J.Diaz, Mendoza, Cardoso, Alex B., Vargas, Sorloth, Almada.