Arsenal and Atlético Madrid will meet competitively for the first time in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League, in the first leg of a much-anticipated contest between clubs from the capital cities of England and Spain.
• Both Arsenal and Atlético survived second-leg scares in the quarter-finals, the Gunners eventually prevailing 6-3 on aggregate against CSKA Moskva (4-1 home, 2-2 away after trailing 0-2) and Los Colchoneros edging Iberian rivals Sporting CP 2-1 over the two legs (2-0 home, 0-1 away).
• Arsenal, the lone English representatives in the UEFA Europa League knockout phase, won four of their six autumn encounters to t…