Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham – News and Probable Lineups

In the midst of their Premier League relegation woes, Tottenham Hotspur travel to the Wanda Metropolitano for the first leg of Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 tie against Atletico Madrid.

Despite their domestic struggles, the Europa League champions finished impressively in fourth place during the league phase, while Diego Simeone’s squad outperformed Club Brugge in the playoffs.

Match overview

As witnessed during the notable second season of Ange Postecoglou, European competition has provided Tottenham with refuge while their Premier League campaign takes a downward turn – at least for now.

A team that is struggling to secure victories in the top flight managed to record five wins during the league phase, including emphatic 2-0 successes over Bundesliga sides Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, finishing ahead of prominent clubs such as Liverpool, Barcelona, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Chelsea in the 36-team standings.

For many observers, Tottenham’s impressive European performances juxtaposed with their dismal domestic showings reflect the comparative quality of football in England versus other top leagues, highlighted by the fact that five Premier League teams advanced directly to the last 16 of the tournament.

This theory will be tested again on Tuesday, as Tottenham aims for a fourth consecutive UCL win and a sixth clean sheet in their last seven matches in the tournament, though the traveling fans may not be optimistic.

There is little new to add about Tottenham’s dire top-flight form; Thursday’s 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace – where Igor Tudor’s side took an early lead before collapsing – resulted in a new unwanted club record of 11 consecutive Premier League matches without a victory, sitting perilously just one point above the relegation zone.

Now reeling from a fifth consecutive defeat across all competitions – and their third in a row under Tudor – Tottenham is already rumored to be considering the Croáatian’s dismissal, though he will lead the side for the challenging first-leg encounter on Tuesday.

Atletico Madrid, who finished three points and ten places below Tottenham in the league phase standings, narrowly edged past Club Brugge to secure their matchup with the Lilywhites, winning a thrilling 7-4 playoff tie.

Simeone’s team battled to a 3-3 draw in a six-goal encounter in their initial match before securing a convincing 4-1 win at home, with Alexander Sorloth netting a hat-trick to send them through.

Historically known for their solid defensive strategy, Atletico concluded the league phase with the poorest defensive record of all teams in the top 16, having conceded 15 goals, and there’s little indication that their defensive concerns will be resolved anytime soon.

In fact, Simeone’s squad has conceded five goals over their last two games, albeit in matches that have little bearing; a 3-0 Copa del Rey defeat to Barcelona was rendered insignificant thanks to their 4-0 first-leg triumph against the Blaugrana, while Saturday’s La Liga match against Real Sociedad ended with a 3-2 victory.

This recent result also marked Atletico’s fourth consecutive win at home, in which they’ve scored at least three goals in each of those victories, although their only competitive encounter with Tottenham beforehand ended in disappointment.

The two clubs are rekindling an old rivalry nearly 63 years after their first meeting in the 1963 Cup Winners’ Cup final, where Jimmy Greaves netted twice in a memorable 5-1 victory for Tottenham, but duplicating that convincing scoreline this Tuesday seems highly unlikely.

Team News

The collapse against Crystal Palace for Tottenham was exacerbated by Micky van de Ven’s red card for a last-man foul, but the Dutch defender will serve his suspension in the league and is eligible to play on Tuesday, alongside Cristian Romero, who has returned from his domestic ban.

The visitors have enjoyed a weekend off due to their early FA Cup elimination, and Tudor is optimistic about Djed Spence’s return from a calf injury, while Destiny Udogie (thigh) is also nearing a return.

However, Wilson Odobert (ACL), James Maddison (ACL), Dejan Kulusexi (knee), Ben Davies (ankle), Lucas Bergvall (ankle), Mohammed Kudus (thigh) and Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh) remain unavailable, and Radu Dragusin missed Thursday’s defeat due to a knock and will also need assessment.

As for Atletico Madrid, January signing Rodrigo Mendoza was substituted during halftime against Real Sociedad due to an ankle issue, putting him in serious doubt for the first leg.

Mendoza is among two fitness worries for Simeone at the moment, with another being Pablo Barrios, who is dealing with a hamstring injury but may still be able to play against Tudor’s side.

Antoine Griezmann, confirmed to be staying in Espanha amidst speculation of a transfer to MLS, made a vital contribution off the bench against Real Sociedad, alongside two-goal hero Nico Gonzalez – both players could be in contention for starting roles here.

Atletico Madrid probable starting XI:

Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Koke, Cardoso, Gonzalez; Sorloth, Alvarez

Tottenham Hotspur probable starting XI:

Vicarious; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Porro, Palhinha, Sarr, Gray; Simons; Tel, Solanke

With Romero and Van de Ven reunited, Tottenham should improve defensively, but the Lilywhites are still searching for attacking creativity and a distinct identity under Tudor.

The visitors’ struggles in domestic competitions have been overlooked against Dortmund or Frankfurt, yet an Atletico side known for scoring at home could place one foot firmly into the quarter-finals.