LONDON, England – Ahead of the decisive second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final between Atletico Madrid and Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, Atletico head coach Diego Simeone has laughed off widespread speculation that the club’s last-minute switch of London hotels was driven by bad-luck superstition.
Back in October during the group stage of this season’s competition, Atletico stayed at the Marriott Hotel near London’s iconic Regent Park ahead of their away fixture against the Gunners – a match that ended in a bruising 4-0 defeat for the Spanish side. With the two legs of the semi-final deadlocked at 1-0 apiece after the opening clash in Madrid, Simeone and his squad opted to skip the familiar Marriott this time around, setting up their pre-match base at the Courthouse Hotel in the Shoreditch district of East London, hundreds of meters across the British capital from their original accommodation.
Multiple sports outlets had previously reported that Simeone ordered the hotel swap out of a fear that staying in the same venue that hosted the squad before their 4-0 group-stage defeat would bring negative fortune to his side ahead of the make-or-break second leg. But when pressed on the reasoning for the change during a pre-match press conference on Monday, the famously intense Atletico boss delivered a blunt, straightforward response that shut down the superstition rumors entirely.
“The hotel was cheaper. That’s why we changed,” Simeone told reporters.
Beyond the off-pitch hotel talk, there is positive fitness news for Atletico ahead of Tuesday’s high-stakes clash: in-form forward Julian Alvarez, who bagged a penalty in the first leg to level the tie, has shaken off a recent injury concern and will be available for selection. The Argentine, who has notched 20 goals across all competitions this campaign, missed Atletico’s La Liga win over Valencia last weekend but made the trip to London with the rest of the squad.
Speaking about Alvarez, a former Manchester City striker who spent years competing in the English Premier League, Simeone highlighted his unique value for the upcoming fixture. “Julian Alvarez is important in this game because he knows the English league very well,” Simeone said. “He played really well last week, and I hope he can bring what he needs in the game tomorrow. As coaches, we have to think about what could happen but it is down to the players. We have to manage our emotions and play as well as possible.”
The match also carries extra personal significance for Atletico legend Antoine Griezmann, who is set to depart the club at the end of the season to join MLS side Orlando City. If Atletico fails to progress to the Champions League final in Istanbul, Tuesday’s clash will mark the 35-year-old’s final appearance in European football’s most prestigious club competition. Across his two stints with Atletico, Griezmann has racked up 212 goals in 494 appearances for the club, cementing his status as one of the greatest players in the club’s modern history.
When asked about the potential milestone of his last Champions League outing in Europe, Griezmann said he was putting that thought aside to focus entirely on the result. “It is not something I am thinking about. I am looking forward to the game tomorrow,” he explained. “I hope we can have the right attitude, and play with the right pressure, and build on our second-half performance from the first leg.”
Looking ahead to the tie, Griezmann said Atletico remains fully focused on reaching the final, a goal every aspiring young footballer dreams of. “Every time we start a Champions League campaign you can see yourself lifting the trophy — and any child in their bedroom would do the same,” he said. “We are just two games away now and we have to get it right — tactically, defensively, and going forward. And, of course, we need more goals.”
With the tie evenly poised, both sides will take the pitch at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night knowing just one 90 minutes stands between them and a spot in the 2024-25 Champions League final.