Arsenal will be hanging onto every omen they can think off as they prepare to face Atletico Madrid in the second-leg of their Champions League semi-final
UEFA have appointed Daniel Siebert to officiate Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final second-leg clash against Atletico Madrid. The Gunners and Atletico are tying 1-1 on aggregate, as they prepare for their crucial game at the Emirates Stadium.
In the first-leg, Mikel Arteta and his players were left furious when Eberechi Eze’s penalty at the Wanda Metropolitano was overturned, after official Danny Makkelie reviewed the incident on VAR. After the match, Declan Rice suggested the official was “provoked” into changing his mind after pressure from the Atletico fans, comments which could see him be punished by the governing body of European football.
While Arsenal were seething with Makkelie’s display, they may feel better about Siebert’s appointment. The Gunners have never lost a European football clash when the German was involved in some capacity.
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Siebert will be flanked by linesman Rafael Foltyn and Bastian Dankert while Robert Schröder and Tobias Stieler will be on VAR duty. Siebert was the referee when Arsenal narrowly overcame Sporting Lisbon 1-0 in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg.
He has also overseen two other European football triumphs for Arsenal. Last year, he was officiating when the Gunners beat Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League table phase.
The first time he took charge of an Arsenal game was several years before that clash, when the Gunners overcame Olympiacos 3-1 in the Europa League, all the way back in 2021. For Atletico, it’s not a happy reunion at all.
Diego Simeone’s side have not won a single match Siebert has officiated. He was in charge when Tottenham beat them 3-2 in north London in the round of 16, albeit Atletico progressed into the last-eight by winning 7-5 on aggregate.
He was also blowing the whistle during Atletico’s fiery 0-0 draw with Manchester City in 2022, one year after overseeing their 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in 2021. While this may be coincidental, everyone affiliated with Arsenal will take this as a positive omen.
Ahead of Arsenal is four of the most pivotal weeks in the club’s history. An unprecedented Premier League and Champions League double is within their grasp, albeit there is next to no margin for error.
Their 3-0 home victory against Fulham saw the north Londoners bulk up their goal difference, meaning they are now six-points and four goals ahead of City, who have two games in hand. Only five games stand between the Gunners and history, but they will surely have to win all of them if they are to lift the Premier League and the Champions League.
After the win over the Cottagers, Arteta said: “We know what’s at stake. We need to push it. Everybody has to lead himself and take ownership of the moment because the impact that you can have in the moment now is going to define the history of the club. That’s a very powerful thing to have.
“When you have the opportunity to make history in such a way you have to embrace it. That’s it. That’s what we’ve been working for, that’s the goal we set at the start of the season. When you pursue a dream and you have it in front of you you have to do your best to achieve it. There’s nothing else but bringing out your best. That’s it.”
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