After a win in LaLiga against Getafe on Saturday, Atlético Madrid will travel to London to take on Tottenham in their second leg of the Champions League round of 16. The Rojiblancos are hoping to reach the quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons.
This mid-week match comes just before the Madrid derby on Sunday, and exactly one month before the Copa del Rey Final against Real Sociedad in April, highlighting just how intense — and important — the coming weeks will be.
The first leg against
Spurs saw Diego Simeone’s men jump out to a three-goal lead in the opening 15 minutes after costly errors by goalkeeper Antonín Kinský and defender Micky van de Ven. Before halftime, Robin Le Normand added a fourth goal and Pedro Porro pulled one back for the English side. The second 45 saw a goal a piece from both teams, with Julián Alvarez and substitute Dominic Solanke scoring respectively as Atleti maintained a three-goal cushion.
If Atleti finish the job at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Simeone’s men will face either FC Barcelona or Newcastle United. Those two teams played out a 1-1 draw at St. James’ Park last week.
Spurs are coming off an important result at the weekend, as Brazilian attacker Richarlison clawed back a last-minute goal to secure a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield. Domestically, the North London side is gasping for air, sitting in 16th place, just one point away from the relegation zone.
With an extremely important match against 17th place Nottingham Forest on Sunday, it will be interesting to see how coach Igor Tudor balances his side. Undoubtedly Tottenham will be looking to avoid shooting themselves in the foot anymore than they already have. Something that may help Atlético though is Richarlison’s suspension for yellow card accumulation, as he joins an already-lengthy list of Spurs absentees (though captain Cristian Romero is set to return after concussion ruled him out of the Liverpool game).
But as we’ve already seen this season, having a multi-goal lead from the first leg doesn’t mean that the second will be without suffering.
Team news
Jan Oblak will miss his second match in succession after sustaining a muscle strain last week. His absence paves the way for Juan Musso to get another start between the sticks. Additionally, midfielders Pablo Barrios (hamstring) and Rodri Mendoza (ankle) will miss this match with injuries of their own.
With the majority of his team getting rest over the weekend against Getafe, Cholo Simeone is expected to make wholesale changes and restore his “first team” for the trip to England. In the defense, Marc Pubill and Matteo Ruggeri will likely start out wide, with Robin Le Normand and the ever-consistent Dávid Hancko slotted as center-backs.
Moving up the flanks, it is probable that Giuliano Simeone and Ademola Lookman will get the nod to start, using their pace and dribbling to cause problems for Tottenham. With Pubill at right back, Marcos Llorente will have the opportunity to cause havoc again in the midfield next to Johnny Cardoso. Llorente’s performance in the first leg was notable, as he scored the first goal for Atleti and kick-started the second with his pressure on Pape Sarr.
Up top, Julián Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann will look to put some more goals past the Lilywhites.
Predicted lineup:
Musso; Pubill, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri; G. Simeone, Llorente, Cardoso, Lookman; Alvarez, Griezmann.
Be sure to check Into the Calderón and That Atleti Podcast for all post-match material!
