{"id":31940,"date":"2026-04-29T00:25:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T00:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T00:25:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T00:25:30","slug":"atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"Atletico Madrid’s two stars are ‘motivated’ to crush Arsenal’s Champions League dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Antoine Griezmann is set to play his final Champions League home game on Wednesday night before heading to Orlando City in the summer, but club captain Koke’s future is also uncertain.<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"Atl\u00e9tico<\/figure>\n<\/div>
\n

Atl\u00e9tico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (right) and Koke are both desperate to get into the game with a bang<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Atletico Madrid star Koke says saying goodbye in the Champions League will give him “additional motivation”.<\/p>\n

Veteran Koke, 34, is out of contract this summer, while French superstar Antoine Griezmann will play his final Champions League game at the Metropolitano before departing for Major League Soccer at the end of the season.<\/p>\n

It marks the end of an era for Atl\u00e9tico, but it also represents an opportunity for Diego Simeone, who is in the Champions League semi-final for the fourth time in his 15-year reign. Not only do they have the know-how and experience, but they are also known for subverting expectations and enjoying being the underdog.<\/p>\n

There are certainly emotions surrounding Griezmann’s farewell and Koke’s future is not set in stone, but all eyes will be on the pair as they prepare for what could be their final dance.<\/p>\n

Koke said: “If Antoine can say goodbye in the Champions League, I think that would be incredible for everyone and we have the same motivation. Beyond Antoine’s farewell, I think we all have the motivation to win the Champions League, right? That’s the biggest thing we can achieve.”<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond the fact that Antoine may not be here next year and other team-mates may not be here, I think at the end of the day this is a team and we are playing to achieve the maximum, and the maximum right now is the Champions League.<\/p>\n

read more: Julian Alvarez to move to Arsenal, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone’s bombshell statement<\/span><\/span>read more: Arsenal learn of PGMOL decision following Mikel Arteta’s fury over VAR and Nick Pope incident<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Follow the Arsenal FB page! For the latest Gunners news and details, visit our dedicated Facebook page.<\/p>\n

“I feel like I’m really enjoying this season, the semi-finals of the Champions League don’t happen every year. I talked about it in the press conference when I was at Al Basa. If we reach the semi-finals, it will be the seventh time Atl\u00e9tico Madrid have reached the final, but luckily this is the fourth time I’ve been able to play.<\/p>\n

“So, you don’t get to play every year, so enjoy it to the fullest. I don’t know if I’ll play it again, but it’s true that I’m going to enjoy it just as much as I did last time.”<\/p>\n

Koke himself is still in good form, but says he has coped with the physical demands of the Champions League and feels as fit as ever, which has stopped him from looking back.<\/p>\n

Koke added: “It doesn’t surprise me. Obviously it costs more as you get older, which happens to all footballers, but I’m not surprised.<\/p>\n

“The truth is, being here and being able to do what I’ve been doing all these years is what motivates me every day. Honestly, that motivation is what’s getting me to the level I’m giving this season. The past is the past and we have to enjoy it.”<\/p>\n

“So, I don’t think anything strange or different will happen compared to other semi-finals. But apart from the fact that we’re playing against a great team like Arsenal, it’s a Champions League semi-final and they’re playing with the highest motivation, nothing is different, at least I don’t see anything different.”<\/p>\n

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages<\/p>\n

\n
This article contains affiliate links and we receive a commission from any sales we generate from them. learn more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\"content<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.<\/p>\n

Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Antoine Griezmann is set to play his final Champions League home game on Wednesday night before heading to Orlando City in the summer, but club captain Koke’s future is also uncertain. Atl\u00e9tico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (right) and Koke are both desperate to get into the game with a bang Atletico Madrid star Koke says saying<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-31940","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"yoast_head":"\nAtletico Madrid's two stars are 'motivated' to crush Arsenal's Champions League dreams - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Atletico Madrid's two stars are 'motivated' to crush Arsenal's Champions League dreams - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Antoine Griezmann is set to play his final Champions League home game on Wednesday night before heading to Orlando City in the summer, but club captain Koke’s future is also uncertain. Atl\u00e9tico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (right) and Koke are both desperate to get into the game with a bang Atletico Madrid star Koke says saying\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-29T00:25:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37081809.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2273239788.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/\",\"name\":\"Atletico Madrid's two stars are 'motivated' to crush Arsenal's Champions League dreams - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_GettyImages-2273239788.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-29T00:25:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_GettyImages-2273239788.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_GettyImages-2273239788.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Atletico Madrid’s two stars are ‘motivated’ to crush Arsenal’s Champions League dreams\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\",\"name\":\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"description\":\"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\",\"name\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Atletico Madrid's two stars are 'motivated' to crush Arsenal's Champions League dreams - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Atletico Madrid's two stars are 'motivated' to crush Arsenal's Champions League dreams - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","og_description":"Antoine Griezmann is set to play his final Champions League home game on Wednesday night before heading to Orlando City in the summer, but club captain Koke’s future is also uncertain. Atl\u00e9tico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (right) and Koke are both desperate to get into the game with a bang Atletico Madrid star Koke says saying","og_url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/","og_site_name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","article_published_time":"2026-04-29T00:25:30+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37081809.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2273239788.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"admin_ok9yktt6","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin_ok9yktt6","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/","name":"Atletico Madrid's two stars are 'motivated' to crush Arsenal's Champions League dreams - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_GettyImages-2273239788.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-29T00:25:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_GettyImages-2273239788.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_GettyImages-2273239788.jpg","width":1200,"height":674},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/29\/atletico-madrids-two-stars-are-motivated-to-crush-arsenals-champions-league-dreams\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Atletico Madrid’s two stars are ‘motivated’ to crush Arsenal’s Champions League dreams"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/","name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","description":"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9","name":"admin_ok9yktt6","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin_ok9yktt6"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/eplvip.com"],"url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}