Joe Cole makes Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid Champions League semi-final prediction | Football

Joe Cole has rated Arsenal’s chances of beating Atletico Madrid and reaching the Champions League final.

Mikel Arteta’s Premier League leaders edged out Portuguese champions Sporting 1-0 in a tight and cagey quarter-final.

Arsenal will meet Spanish giants Atletico in the semis after Diego Simeone’s side beat La Liga rivals Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate.

Champions League holders PSG face German champions Bayern Munich in the other semi-final tie after wins over Liverpool and Real Madrid respectively.

Following a brilliant first-half to the season, Arsenal appear to be stuttering towards the finish line, winning just one of their last five games in all competitions.

But former England star Cole still believes Arsenal fans should be ‘very confident’ about their chances of overcoming Atletico Madrid and reaching the Champions League final.

‘Arsenal fans should be very, very confident,’ Cole said on TNT Sports. ‘They always knew they were on the better side of the draw.

‘The Premier League is one entity but I think they will turn up against Sporting and perform and get through.

‘A semi-final against an Atletico Madrid team that we saw tonight, Arsenal are a lot stronger than so many different areas.

‘The only thing that Atletico Madrid have got over them is experience but I still think the double is on for Arsenal, I really do.

‘It will be chaos but Arsenal can’t be gentlemen in a game like that. There will be dark arts from Atletico so Arsenal need to manage that.’

Arsenal beat Sporting 1-0 in Lisbon last week courtesy of Kai Havertz’s injury-time goal and that proved to be enough to send the Gunners into the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Speaking after the victory over Sporting, Gunners boss Arteta said: ‘It’s a massive moment. To be part of those four teams is great work.

‘It’s a great night. I’m very happy for all our people. We are making steps that haven’t been done at this club for 140 years [back-to-back Champions League semi-finals].

‘You have to earn it. You have to go through a lot of work. Gratitude to the players.’

On Arsenal’s semi-final opponents Atletico Madrid, Arteta added: ‘I watched them yesterday – that stadium is special.

‘Those are the moments we want to live together as a team right now, so enjoy tonight. Tomorrow we will start to prepare for the weekend and then we will think about that.’

Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli also discussed the semi-final tie against Atletico Madrid, telling reporters: ‘We played them in the group stage but this will be a completely different game.

‘We have to earn the right, we have to do things right in the game as well. Let’s keep it up and try to win both games.’

Arsenal, sitting six points clear at the top of the Premier League, face title rivals Manchester City in a huge clash on Sunday.

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