Atlético Madrid have lodged a complaint with UEFA after their players couldn’t get a hot shower at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium during training ahead of their Champions League meeting on Tuesday night.
The team trained in North London on Monday evening, just after Diego Simeone and Julián Álvarez spoke to reporters. But once their session ended, players found there was no hot water in the away dressing room. After a long, rain-soaked workout, they headed straight back to their hotel to clean up.
Now, imagine that one of Europe’s biggest clubs arriving for Champions League preparation and finding no hot water! Atlético’s staff were shocked and frustrated, describing the situation as “unacceptable” for a stadium of Arsenal’s reputation.
UEFA officials were informed immediately. It was later confirmed that both dressing rooms had the same problem. Arsenal admitted there’d been a plumbing fault and apologized for the inconvenience. The issue was fixed not long after Atlético left, and the club promised everything would be fine for matchday.
A member of the Spanish team told Softfootball:
The Emirates is one of the best stadiums in England, so this was surprising.
Atlético Madrid arrive in London full of belief after a commanding 5–1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in their last Champions League match, a result that reignited their European ambitions. Since their opening day loss to Liverpool, the Spanish side have gone six matches unbeaten in all competitions, showing signs of a team rediscovering its identity.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have been in top form. They won their last Champions League game 2–0 against Olympiacos, maintaining a perfect start to the group stage and standing as one of only two teams yet to concede in the competition.
Arsenal via their official X handle urged fans to get familiar with the LA Liga opponent, which featured the Club, the Manager and the squad. They shared:
Mikel Arteta also praised Atletico Madrid’s intensity and discipline in his pre match press conference shared on the club’s official X handle, as he highlighted their trademark competitiveness and tactical organization. He said:
First of all, the willingness to win, you can sense that in every single ball, in every single yard, the way they play, so it’s about how they compete and then after how they play.
I think there are two very different things, and in order to have to analyse what they are, the level of organisation is really high, the level of discipline is really high and then they have acquired a lot of talent throughout the years that are very specific for the needs and the way they want to play and they are very, very good at exploiting those opportunities.
Watch the video below:
Despite the hiccup, both teams are ready to focus on the football. Arsenal are flying high in the Champions League after two straight wins, while Atlético have one victory and one defeat so far.
Simeone, who returns from suspension, spoke highly of Mikel Arteta’s team, praising their identity and intensity. He said his side would “try to take the game where we can do damage.”
So, with the hot water drama now behind them, all eyes turn to the real heat, the action on the pitch at the Emirates Stadium.
