Champions League last four, key players who could decide the semi-finals

1. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Paris have reached three straight semi-finals, a first for any French club, and Kvaratskhelia is the kind of wide threat that can turn that history into a place in Budapest on May 30. UEFA has listed the 25-year-old number 7 with 13 Champions League appearances and 884 minutes this season, which tells you how central he already is to Paris's rhythm. With Bayern leading the head-to-head 9-6 and no draws in the rivalry, his ability to win isolated duels could tilt both legs.

2. Antoine Griezmann

Atleti's best route through Arsenal still runs through Griezmann's timing, intelligence and calm in tight spaces. He has said Atleti means "something way beyond love" to him, and with nearly 500 appearances and more than 200 goals across two spells before a summer move to Orlando City, this is a player built for one more heavy European evening. If Arsenal compress the middle, Griezmann's first touch and final pass become Atleti's most reliable way to turn pressure into a counter.

3. Bukayo Saka

Arsenal's second consecutive semi-final, a first in the club's history, needs a player who can break a locked game with one sharp carry, and Saka is still the cleanest answer. Against an Atleti side that will want to stay narrow and force play outside, his ability to draw defenders, create overloads and attack the byline could decide whether Arsenal spend the night probing or penetrating. In a tie like this, one decisive right-side sequence can matter more than long stretches of possession.

4. Harry Kane

Bayern's historic edge over Paris gives Kane a platform, because a player with his finishing range does not need many openings to punish a favourite. He is the type of striker who can convert one half-chance into control of the tie, especially if Paris push high and leave space behind. If Bayern want their 9-6 head-to-head advantage to feel relevant on the pitch rather than only on paper, Kane is the player most likely to make it count.

5. Declan Rice

Rice is the midfielder most likely to determine whether Arsenal turn Atleti into a transition team or keep them pinned back. If he wins second balls, protects the back line and stops Griezmann receiving on the turn, Arsenal can force the tie into areas where they have more control and more territory. The broader competition data on balls recovered among the remaining clubs underlines how much this phase matters, and Rice is built to dominate it.

6. Kai Havertz

Havertz left the Newcastle win on April 25, 2026, with a knock, and that injury context makes him one of the most important variables in Arsenal's week. He gives them a physical reference at the top of the pitch, a pressing trigger and a late arrival into the box, all of which become more valuable against an Atleti side that will defend the centre aggressively. If he is not fully sharp, Arsenal lose a player who can stretch the game vertically as well as horizontally.

7. Eberechi Eze

Eze also finished that Newcastle match with a knock, so his availability and sharpness could shape Arsenal's creativity in the first leg. His dribbling is exactly the sort of skill that can force Atleti's compact shape to break, creating the extra step that opens a shooting lane or a cutback. If he is fit enough to start, Arsenal gain a direct route to disrupt a defence that prefers the game slow and compressed.

8. Jamal Musiala

Musiala is Bayern's best chance to make Paris uncomfortable between the lines, because he can carry through pressure rather than simply circulate around it. That matters against a Paris team arriving with perfect recent Champions League form, since one slaloming run can unravel a night of disciplined structure. The more often he pulls centre-backs or holding midfielders out of position, the more Bayern's attacking pattern becomes unpredictable.

9. Jan Oblak

Atleti's path to the final depends on whether Oblak can keep Arsenal from converting pressure into a scoreboard advantage. Semi-finals often swing on one keeper rescue, and if Arsenal's wide pressure and central runners start creating clean chances, Oblak is the player most likely to keep the tie alive. His shot-stopping gives Atleti room to survive long spells without the ball, which is exactly the kind of support Griezmann needs.

10. Gianluigi Donnarumma

Paris versus Bayern may be decided by margins so thin that shot-stopping matters as much as shot creation, and Donnarumma is the Paris player most likely to save a tie when the game turns. UEFA's stats hub highlights the importance of saves among the remaining players, and Paris may need exactly that if Bayern's experience starts to tell across the two legs on April 28/29 and May 5/6. If the path to Budapest narrows into a one-goal contest, Donnarumma's hands could be as decisive as Kvaratskhelia's feet.