Diego Simeone and his team have shown much fighting in the Champions League and La Liga. They are now down 2-1 to Real Madrid in the Round of 16. They will need to step up once more to pull off a potential Atletico Madrid CL comeback. Going into these matches, some teams can almost psych themselves out before even stepping foot on the pitch.
This isn’t a concern with Wednesday’s hosts, however. This team has repeatedly found ways to stay alive in games and even force a result. Their determination goes beyond that of many sides. Once a match gets out of hand, players will go through the motions to see the 90 minutes out.
Down From First Leg
Los Colchoneros continue to fight and press the issue, even when it looks like a lost cause. Their approach explains part of this. Teams naturally always want more of the ball. Atletico feels comfortable being outpossessed.
This Diego Simeone side, furthermore, is as good on the counter as any in the world. They may face an early concession. There is rarely a completely lost cause, oftentimes due to their ability to score from seemingly nothing at a moment’s notice.
A combination of Marcos Llorente, Pablo Barrios, and Rodrigo De Paul will most likely need to find the likes of Julián Álvarez and Antoine Griezmann in the attacking third. The Champions League home side must score at least two goals to advance. A lot will be needed for an Atletico Madrid CL comeback.
The defence and Jan Oblak, furthermore, need to more or less keep a clean sheet. Conceding one means needing to score three or more goals to avoid extra time. Granted, Simeone’s Atletico can get plenty of attempts in the back of the net.
Regardless, advancing becomes much more difficult when even one goal is allowed. Going beyond 90 minutes is an entirely separate entity.
After regulation, a tied score on aggregate is possible. This would require extra time and an ensuing penalty shootout. The game then often becomes about the inner strength to outlast an opponent.
Musts For Potential Atletico Madrid CL Comeback
In the first leg, Atletico did a pretty solid job limiting the impact of Vini Jr. and Kylian Mbappé. Heading into any match with Madrid, these are the two star players that receive a lot of deserved attention. The game plan of Diego Simeone worked for a lot of the first leg of the Round of 16 match against Real Madrid. He’ll need to find the right recipe if the Atletico Madrid CL comeback is to take place.
However, a momentary lapse saw Rodrygo score an early goal. The fourth-minute goal provided Real Madrid with an advantage. Something like this can’t happen again if Atletico is to advance to the next stage of the Champions League.
This is particularly true against Vini Jr. and Mbappé. For all of the talk about the French player’s lack of form, these are still players who only need a half chance to punish their opposition. Make no mistake: Diego Simeone will have the two Real Madrid players in mind for this Champions League clash again.
If Atletico stays disciplined in the back and frustrates Madrid, it should be enough to thwart the attack. Successfully executing this aspect will then translate to giving the ball back and allowing them to do what they do best. At the other end, this side excels at fast-paced, cutthroat football. Sometimes, a fan could blink and miss an entire progression with how quickly Simeone’s men move up and down the field.
The hosts enter Wednesday at a disadvantage. If they can pull off this Atletico Madrid CL comeback, though, it shouldn’t surprise anyone.
