Atlético vs Man United Tips, Prediction & Odds – 02/23/2022 - EUROPE : Champions League - Final round

 

 

One of the most interesting and exciting constellations in the Champions League Round of 16 is the match between Atletico Madrid and Manchester United. This assessment is based on several factors. On the one hand, there are two internationally renowned clubs that are lagging behind their own expectations at national level in the current season. On the other hand, we can also expect the duel between the defensive fanatics on the bench, Diego Simeone against Ralf Rangnick.

 

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Somewhat surprisingly, it is the clubs first meeting since the 1991/92 season when they faced each other in the round of 16 of the European Cup Winners' Cup. After a comfortable 3-0 first-leg win on Spanish soil, Atletico handed a 1-1 draw in the second leg to advance. Manchester United have never won against the Colchoneros, but the Red Devils traditionally have a hard time with Spanish opponents. Of the last seven ties United have played against Spanish sides in the knockout stages of the premier league, they have only won once (in April 2002, beating Deportivo La Coruna 2-0).

 

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In our Atletico vs Man United tip you can now read whether we see the Spaniards again at an advantage here and what other predictions we would make for this round of 16 encounter.

 

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Atlético must submit

 

Diego Simeone's side have to play the first leg at home and should therefore ensure a good starting position for the second leg. In the past, Atlético have mostly chosen a cautious approach, so offensive fireworks are not to be expected. In the championship, however, a few goals were recently scored in Madrilenian games. There have been 22 goals in the last 5 games - an average of 4.40 goals per game. In the group stage of the Champions League it was only 2.50 goals per game on average.

 

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Atletico Madrid – Stats & Current Form

 

For Atletico Madrid, the premier class offers the only remaining chance to turn a bad season into a positive one. Because the "Rojiblancos" lost out in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey and, as the defending champions in La Liga, were never able to repeat the performance of the previous season, coach Diego Simeone's team has big plans for the Champions League .

 

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That the "Colchoneros” would even be allowed to play in the round of 16 was not certain until the last day of the group stage. Only thanks to a 3-1 win at FC Porto and Liverpool's support against Milan did Madrid jump into second place. And that despite the fact that they only got one measly point from three home games and in two cases they didn't even score.

 

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Apart from that, there is also a question mark over the current constitution of the capital city dwellers. Four La Liga games alone have been lost since the beginning of December. Especially the defensive, which was the showpiece of the red and white for many years, is currently not working at all. Looking back at the last twelve league games, the clean sheet could only be preserved twice. At least the fact that the defense in their own stadium (12 goals conceded) looks much more stable than abroad (22) gives hope in this regard.

 

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Expected line-up of Atletico Madrid:

 

Oblak; Vrsaljko, Gimenez, Savic, Reinildo; Llorente, Koke, Kondogbia, Correa; Felix, Suarez

 

 

Atlético: form & record check

 

The hosts had a successful dress rehearsal for their forthcoming round of 16 first leg against Manchester United last weekend, beating ninth-placed Osasuna 3-0 despite only having 37% possession. Thanks to the early opening goal by Joao Felix (3rd), the Madrilenians were able to withdraw early and leave the game to their opponents, who, however, were unable to make much profit from the visual superiority against an opponent who was defending compactly. Luis Suárez (59th) and Angel Correa (89th) finally put the lid on it with their goals in the second round.

 

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Games of this kind - allowing nothing behind and being brutally effective up front - have been Atlético's great strength in recent years. In the current season, however, there is not much left of the defensive stability. An average of 0.65 goals conceded per league game (20/21) season is currently 1.36 goals conceded per game. It doesn't look very different in the premier class. There Atletico only kept the zero in the 0-0 against Porto on the 1st matchday. Eight goals were conceded in the five group games that followed.

 

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