Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United – News and Probable Lineups

Manchester United Women are set to make their way to the Spanish capital for Thursday’s Women’s Champions League showdown against Atletico Madrid.

Both clubs are keen to establish a first-leg advantage ahead of the return match next week, with Bayern Munich lying in wait for the victors of this knockout phase playoff.

Match overview

Atletico’s performance during the league phase was less than impressive, yet they managed to secure an 11th-place finish.

The Spanish team started the main draw with two wins out of their initial four games, including an impressive 6-0 victory over St Polten in their opening match.

Atletico suffered consecutive UWCL defeats against Manchester United and Juventus, but later secured a vital 4-0 win against Twente in the Netherlands.

Regrettably for the Spanish side, they only managed to earn one point from their last two league phase matches, resulting in an unseeded position in the knockout phase playoffs.

Atletico will head into the knockout rounds with a new manager, as Jose Herrera has taken on the head coaching role following Victor Martin’s departure, after a series of ten matches without a win in regulation time, including a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Super Cup semi-finals.

Herrera’s first match was a frustrating draw against Granada, but he has since overseen a revival, highlighted by a 4-1 triumph over Athletic Club in the Copa de la Reina quarter-finals and a 1-0 away victory against Levante last weekend.

The Atleti coach faces a challenging task on Thursday, especially as the home team has yet to secure a win at home in the UWCL main draw this season (D1, L2).

On the other hand, Man United concluded the league phase in sixth place, just one point away from the top four, with four wins and two draws from their six matches.

While missing out on an automatic quarter-final spot, the Red Devils will be satisfied to have qualified for a seeded playoff position in their inaugural UWCL main draw appearance.

Marc Skinner’s squad enters Thursday’s first leg with strong momentum, having gone unbeaten in nine matches since their 3-0 defeat at home to Lyon in a December UWCL fixture.

In fact, Manchester United have won their last five competitive encounters, including a 1-0 victory against Arsenal in last month’s Women’s League Cup semi-final.

The Red Devils produced a solid performance at the King Power Stadium in their last match, where goals from Julia Zigiotti Olme and Elisabeth Terland secured a 2-0 victory, placing Man United second in the Women’s Super League.

This result also marked their fourth clean sheet in the last six competitive games and their fourth win in five competitive away matches.

Manchester United will also gain confidence from the fact that they have previously defeated Atletico in Madrid this season, achieving a narrow 1-0 victory in their league phase encounter in October.

Team News

Atletico Madrid forward Gio Garbelini remains unavailable due to a leg injury she sustained during October’s league phase match against Manchester United.

Key attacker Luany will miss Thursday’s match as she is serving a suspension following her dismissal in Atletico’s recent UWCL fixture against Lyon.

Herrera may choose to maintain consistency by fielding the same lineup that has started in the past two competitive matches.

For the visitors, Ella Toone and Leah Galton are both sidelined due to injuries to their hip and back respectively.

Full-back Jayde Riviere is pushing for a recall after starting on the bench in Saturday’s WSL victory over Leicester.

Fridolina Rolfo and Terland might be under consideration for Skinner if he decides to adjust his attacking patterns for the European contest.

Atletico Madrid Women probable starting XI:

Gallardo; Alexia, Lloris, Lauren, Menayo, Medina; Iannuzzi, Boe Risa, Bartel, Sarriegi; Jensen

Manchester United Women probable starting XI:

Tullis-joyce; Rivier, le tissier, Jansen, sandberg; In Zigio, Miyazawa; Malard, park, rolfo; Terland

Man United will be brimming with confidence following their recent form, and we believe their solid defensive structure will lay the groundwork for Skinner’s team to achieve a victory against Atletico in the Spanish capital for the second time this season.