Arsenal
In the last three seasons, both in the domestic league and the Champions League, Arsenal has continuously progressed, and now they seem to be standing on the threshold of glory, ready to take advantage of all the experience they have accumulated. Two years ago, the Gunners reached the quarter-finals; last year they stopped in the semi-finals. This year, they are determined to conquer the championship.
Arsenal is still the only unbeaten team in the league this season with 10 wins and 2 draws after 12 matches. In terms of time, they have only lost 2 in their last 22 matches in the Champions League (17 wins, 3 draws).
Although they are a strong team in defense, Arsenal is also a formidable attacking team. They have 12 players scoring in European competitions this season, which shows that Arsenal is a very unpredictable team for any opponent.
In history, Arsenal has not yet won the C1/Champions League. Their best achievement is runner-up in the 2005-2006 season.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid is going through one of the most scoring seasons in history, with a strong squad and versatile players like Marcos Llorente and Antoine Griezmann.
This gives Diego Simeone an advantage in this round, as he can apply many different tactics throughout the group stage. Moreover, although Julian Alvarez is their trump card, they do not rely on just one player in attack, as there are 12 players who have scored in the Champions League this season.
In his 15th season leading the team since taking office in December 2011, Simeone helped the team qualify for the Champions League in the last 13 seasons. Besides two La Liga titles with Atletico, he also brought the club to two Europa League titles, two UEFA Super Cups and two Champions League finals. However, the most prestigious title in Europe still eludes him, and it is still the big trophy missing in his collection as well as the team.
Julian Alvarez will be Atletico's most anticipated player as he has scored 15 goals in the last 19 Champions League matches.
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich is a major force in European football, having won the championship 6 times, most recently in the 2019-2020 season. In his 2nd season leading the team, coach Vincent Kompany is turning Bayern into a diverse attacking machine, constantly creating scoring records.
Michael Olise and Luis Diaz are reminiscent of the Robben and Ribery pair as in the old days. Meanwhile, striker Harry Kane still scores regularly and has reached the milestone of 50 goals this season.
Kane scored 16 goals in the last 15 Champions League matches before entering the semi-finals. After eliminating Real Madrid, Bayern Munich confidently aims to defeat PSG in the semi-finals, to continue writing their championship dream.
PSG
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is the defending champion of this tournament. Although the team has gone through a period of group stage full of ups and downs, the final 8-2 victory over Chelsea in round 16 and defeating Liverpool 4-0 in the quarter-finals are both timely reminders of their attacking power.
When they succeed in combining their philosophical principles on the field - individual brilliance, constant movement and enthusiastic fighting spirit - they are still capable of easily defeating the strongest teams in Europe.
Ousmane Dembele is a key player for PSG. He scored 35 goals and had 14 assists in 53 matches in the 2024-2025 season. He was one of the team's key players in the Champions League victory last season and the top scorer of Ligue 1 with 21 goals. At just 28 years old, Dembele has played for the French national team more than 50 times.
The two semi-finals: Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich vs PSG will take place in the first leg on April 28 and 29; The return leg takes place on May 5 and 6.
