Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid: Ødegaard and Havertz back for the second leg

Arsenal go into the Champions League semi-final second leg with a clear lift in selection options. Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz are both back, and the tie is still level at 1-1 after the first leg at the Metropolitano.

Mikel Arteta put the point plainly, saying: “We need options, we need the capacity to play different games, whether it's from the start or after. So it's really, really good news for us to have them both back.” That is a fair summary of why this matters. Arsenal are not just getting bodies back, they are getting two players who change how the attack can be built and finished.

Why the return of Ødegaard and Havertz matters

Ødegaard has started all 5 of his most recent matches for Arsenal and completed 90 minutes in 2 of them. He also has 22 Premier League appearances this season and 6 Champions League appearances, so this is not a player arriving cold after a long lay-off. His European rating of 7.12 in the competition backs up the idea that he has still been a useful creator when Arsenal need control.

Havertz brings a different threat. He has scored 3 goals in his 5 Champions League appearances this season, and his 7.34 rating in the competition is the strongest of the pair in the brief. If Arteta wants more passing and control, Ødegaard helps with that. If he wants a cleaner route to the box, Havertz gives him that option too.

That flexibility is the real gain. Arsenal have spent enough time in recent seasons trying to squeeze matches into one shape. This time, they can ask different questions of Atletico Madrid without changing the whole plan.

The backdrop around Atletico is already noisy

The football side is only part of the story. Fireworks were set off outside Atlético Madrid’s team hotel at 1:30am, with a second batch 20 minutes later waking multiple players and staff. The club’s president, Enrique Cerezo, dismissed the hotel choice discussion with a blunt line, saying: “The economy is the economy.”

That disturbance does not decide the tie, but it does add another layer to a night that was already going to be tight. Atlético have their own job to do after the 1-1 first leg, and Arsenal now have their two most useful returning attackers back in the mix.

The wider rule picture also matters. UEFA scrapped the away goals rule in June 2021, so this is simply about winning the second leg rather than chasing a complicated away-goals scenario. A level tie means the margin for error is still small, but there is no hidden advantage to lean on.

If Arsenal’s control improves with Ødegaard on the pitch and Havertz giving them a more direct end point, that should be enough to make them feel better about their chances. The job is still unfinished, though, and Atletico Madrid will know one good spell is enough to flip the night again.