{"id":319650,"date":"2026-04-16T17:45:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=319650"},"modified":"2026-04-16T17:45:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:15:02","slug":"troy-deeney-sends-warning-to-arsenal-over-atletico-madrid-star-with-point-to-prove-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/04\/16\/troy-deeney-sends-warning-to-arsenal-over-atletico-madrid-star-with-point-to-prove-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Troy Deeney sends warning to Arsenal over Atletico Madrid star with point to prove | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Arsenal\u2019s semi-final tie with Atletico Madrid is prone to be \u2018weird\u2019 contest, says Troy Deeney (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Troy Deeney says Ademola Lookman will likely be seeking to prove a degree when Arsenal lock horns with Atletico Madrid on this 12 months\u2019s Champions League semi-finals.<\/p>\n

Arsenal secured their place within the last 4 due to an edgy two-legged victory over Sporting, with Kai Havertz\u2019s late strike in Lisbon proving the difference after Wednesday\u2019s contest ended goalless. <\/p>\n

Sporting had opportunities to level the mixture rating on the Emirates, most notably through Geny Catamo and Maxi Araujo, before Leandro Trossard headed against the post late on in north London. <\/p>\n

The result ensured the Gunners reached the successive semi-finals in Europe\u2019s premier competition for the primary time of their history, keeping the club\u2019s hopes of a double alive in the method.<\/p>\n

Mikel Arteta\u2019s men will do battle with Atletico Madrid for a spot on this 12 months\u2019s final at Budapest\u2019s Puskas Arena, where the winner will face off against either Bayern Munich or the holders Paris Saint-Germain.<\/p>\n

Atleti defeated Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate to advance on Tuesday evening, with Ademola Lookman\u2019s strike enough to send Diego Simeone\u2019s side through after a pair of early goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres at a raucous Metropolitano Stadium. <\/p>\n

Arsenal will head to Madrid for the primary leg of what guarantees to be an intriguing semi-final on April 29. The 2 teams will resume their battle six days later on the Emirates on May 5.<\/p>\n

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The Gunners edged past Sporting to advance through to the last 4 (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018I feel each teams need it, it\u2019s an enormous moment for Simeone,\u2019 ex-Watford striker Deeney said on CBS Sports<\/a> when discussing the match-up.<\/p>\n

\u2018Simeone spoke on Tuesday about how the club has evolved they usually\u2019ve allowed him to evolve, but I feel while you\u2019ve got a brand new stadium and the cash that they\u2019ve spent, you must see more progression.<\/p>\n

\u2018I feel the pressure is equal [on both clubs], I feel there\u2019s going to be a whole lot of respect between them as well, each teams will appreciate what the otherguys have done defensively.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Deeney is curious to see how Lookman performs across the 2 legs, with the winger perhaps seeking to send a message to those fans who best remember his underwhelming spell within the Premier League with Everton.<\/p>\n

\u2018It should be interesting for the likes of Lookman, what he can do in these moments,\u2019 Deeney added.<\/p>\n

\u2018Obviously when he was within the Premier League he had flashes but he\u2019s type of been considered a little bit of a bust within the Premier League.<\/p>\n

\u2018So I feel it is a massive game for him to showcase [what he can do] against a top team in Arsenal.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Lookman\u2019s goal against Barcelona proved decisive for Atleti (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The winger did not live as much as expectations at Everton (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Deeney is anticipating a \u2018weird\u2019 semi-final tie between two \u2018defensively solid\u2019 teams who \u2018don\u2019t want the ball\u2019.<\/p>\n

He added: \u2018I don\u2019t think Arsenal have that killer instinct in them to go, \u201cRight, I\u2019m going to take the sport on, I\u2019m going to go and beat you by three, 4, five\u201d, they simply play type of percentage football, which is winning football by the way in which.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s, \u201cWe\u2019re not going to take any risks, we\u2019re not going to take any possibilities\u201d, and I don\u2019t know if that gets you to winning this. I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019re going to play against Atletico Madrid and each teams are going to do the identical thing. Neither of them want the ball, each need to be defensively solid, each hit on the counter-attack, so it\u2019s going to make for a weird game.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Arteta\u2019s men tackle Manchester City in a possible title decider this weekend (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In his post-match interview with CBS Sports, Declan Rice reassured fans that Arsenal\u2019s squad have \u2018massive motivation\u2019 to be positive and beat Manchester City this weekend after last month\u2019s Carabao Cup final defeat.<\/p>\n

But Deeney will not be convinced by the \u2018messaging\u2019 coming out of Arsenal\u2019s camp after a series of uninspiring and unconvincing displays heading into Sunday\u2019s potential title decider.<\/p>\n

\u2018The messaging coming out of Arsenal\u2026 they\u2019re bluffing it,\u2019 he explained.<\/p>\n

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Arsenal are \u2018bluffing it\u2019 with their messaging within the media, says Deeney (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018You\u2019ve got the manager talking about being on fire, you\u2019ve got Declan Rice now saying, \u201cWe would like to win every game\u201d\u2026 we\u2019ve just watched two games against Sporting where you didn\u2019t need to win those games, you tried to not lose.<\/p>\n

\u2018The perfect part about it, which actually winds me up now, Arne Slot spoke earlier within the season about playing against a low block and got crucified by older players, Steven Gerrard coming out and saying that that\u2019s what you usually should do against a top team.<\/p>\n

\u2018Arteta has just spoken about how difficult it’s to play against a low block\u2026 you [Arsenal] attempt to stop everybody every week! What are you talking about?! <\/p>\n

\u2018Again, talking in regards to the messaging and the delivery of the message, Declan Rice is clearly attempting to put the captain\u2019s hat on and say all the fitting messaging\u2026 unfortunately the camera caught your face at the tip of the sport. <\/p>\n

\u2018That was a sigh of relief, that wasn\u2019t a, \u201cYes, job done! Onto the subsequent one\u201d after which to take it back to Jeremy Doku\u2019s interview after the sport against Chelsea: \u201cThis weekend [against Arsenal] is a large game, can\u2019t wait for it!\u201d, there\u2019s a positivity.<\/p>\n

\u2018Arsenal are going, \u201cIf we don\u2019t lose then we\u2019ll be alright\u201d, and if you happen to go into games with that mentality then I just think you\u2019re under pressure they usually\u2019re bluffing it in the intervening time.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Who will this 12 months’s Champions League?<\/h3>\n