Atlético de Madrid vs Manchester United Preview & Match Analysis

Atlético de Madrid will host Man United in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League next Wednesday at the Wanda metropolitano stadium. Los Colchoneros were qualified to the Round of 16 following a difficult group stage journey in which they were able to advance to the Round of 16 at the expense of Milan and Porto after six competitive matches in what was called the group of death, given that it includes some of the toughest teams to beat.

Let’s not forget that this group was not only composed of Porto, Atlético de Madrid and Milan but also of Liverpool, the European giants who were consistently present in the final stages of the competition in the last few years.

On the other hand, Manchester United were qualified to the Round of 16 as the top team in their group following a 3-2 home win against Atalanta, a 2-2 away draw against the same team, two wins against Villarreal in addition to a draw and a loss against Young Boys.

The winners of the UEFA Champions League for three times, Manchester United, will be eager to advance to the next round while being totally aware of the complexity of their mission since they will have to beat one of the toughest European teams in terms of defence.

But despite that, they will do their best to score against Atlético de Madrid who have won only eight of their last 22 matches across all competitions. Such statistics would encourage Manchester United even further, despite being aware that Atlético de Madrid often transform in the UEFA Champions League and become a much tougher opponent than in La Liga.

Manchester United will most probably line-up according to the 4-3-3 formation with David De Gea as a goalkeeper, Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw in defence, Scott McTominay, Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba in midfield and Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford in attack.

On the other hand, Atlético de Madrid will most probably start the match according to the 4-4-2 formation with Jan Oblak as a goalkeeper, Marcos Llorente, Stefan Savic, Mario Hermoso and Reinildo in defence, Angel Correa, Koke, Rodrigo de Paul, Thomas Lemar in midfield and both Luis Suárez and Matheus Cunha in attack.

Diego Simeone will also have some strong weapons at his disposal for this match, represented in João Félix, the rising Portuguese talent, as well as Antoine Griezmann, the French striker.

Moreover, all eyes will surely be put on Cristiano Ronaldo to see if he would still be able to fly with Manchester United to the Quarter-finals after he was successful in scoring 25 goals against the Spanish team in the past.

The winner of this Round of 16 will prepare for playing the Quarter-finals on the 5th or 6th of April before playing the second leg on April 12th or 13th. The draw which will be held in Nyon, Switzerland and which is scheduled on Friday 18 March at 12:00 CET will specify the exact dates and times for each match.