Atlético, without margin of error
Simeone’s men receive Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen with the obligation to win
MADRID, 25 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid is seeking this Wednesday at the Cívitas Metropolitano (9:00 p.m./Movistar Champions League) an essential victory to continue in the Champions League and depend on itself, in a fifth and penultimate day of the group stage in which the Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen is also risking his life in the highest continental competition.
The victory, which has eluded them since their debut in the continental competition at home against Porto (2-1), is the only result that allows the rojiblancos to temper their spirits ahead of the momentous last day of Group B, where third, in position to access the Europa League, with four points.
The defeats in Leverkusen (2-0) and the Jan Breydel stadium (2-0) and the goalless draw against the Belgians in Madrid (0-0) leave Diego Pablo Simeone’s men six units behind the already qualified Bruges and two of the Portuguese.
Precisely, O Dragao will pass sentence in a week, but first he will have to save his first extreme situation. If he loses or draws this Wednesday and the Portuguese team wins in Belgium, the mattresses will be mathematically eliminated; if he wins, he will depend on himself in the last duel. Thus, there is no margin for error if he wants to avoid the continental bump.
Now, they will try to achieve their second victory in their last eleven home matches in the ‘Champions’ -after the one signed precisely against Porto-, a scenario that also resists them in the domestic competition, where they have won only one of their last three matches.
The ‘Cholo’ will be entrusted to Álvaro Morata and the Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, who has participated in five of the team’s last six goals -three goals and two assists-, to break the goalscoring drought in the top continental competition, which has now lasted to three meetings.
The Slovenian Jan Oblak, who returned to goal in the victory against Real Betis (1-2), will form under the sticks behind Simeone’s fetish defense this season, made up of Stefan Savic and José María Giménez as a pair of central defenders and Nahuel Molina and Reinildo on the wings.
Still without Koke, Thomas Lemar or Marcos Llorente, the midfield will be owned by Geoffrey Kondogbia and Axel Witsel, with Rodrigo de Paul on the right and Yannick Carrasco on the left.
Opposite, former Madrid player Xabi Alonso will seek to make the night bitter for the Atléticos and give life to Bayer Leverkusen, bottom of Group B with three points thanks to the victory he achieved at the Bay Arena precisely against Simeone’s (2-0), one of the three only successes in the 16 games played so far this year.
The Basque coach, who debuted with the team with a solid win in the Bundesliga against Schalke (4-0), has not been able to straighten his course in Europe, falling two weeks ago against Porto (0-3) before conceding two new setbacks in the league -5-1 against Eintracht Frankfurt and 2-2 against Wolfsburg-.
DATASHEET.
–POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
ATLETICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Molina, Savic, Giménez, Reinildo; DePaul, Witsel, Kondogbia, Carrasco; Morata and Griezmann.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN: Hradecky; Hincapié, Tah, Kossounou; Frimpong, Demirbay, Bakker, Andrich; Diaby, Hundson-Odoi y Schick.
–ARBITOR: Clément Turpin (FRA).
–STADIUM: Cívitas Metropolitano.
–TIME: 21.00/Movistar Champions League 2.