Atletico Madrid welcome Bayer Leverkusen in UEFA Champions League with both parties vying for a place in the round of 16 at the end of the championship phase. Diego Simeone’s men come in 11th in the UCL table and one point outside the top eight, while Xabi Alonso’s side are fourth with 13 points from six games. The Spanish lost in La Liga this weekend while the Germans won the Bundesliga.
A superb run of 15 wins – the best in the club’s history – for Atletico was ended by Leganes, although Simeone and his players remain first in the Spanish top flight. The capital side have won three and lost three of their last 10 meetings with Leverkusen with a 2-2 draw in their last encounter during the 2022-23 UCL. Atleti are strong at home against German sides with 17 wins and just three defeats in 25 meetings, with seven wins from their last eight at home in the Champions League.
Leverkusen beat Borussia Mönchengladbach before this for a 12th consecutive victory in all competitions. The reigning German champions are second in the Bundesliga and four points behind Bayern Munich at the top, with Sparta Praha their remaining opponents after Atleti in the league stage. Die Werkself have won three of their last 21 away matches against Spanish opponents and have not appeared in the UCL knockout stage since 2016-17.
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday January 21 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Metropolitan Stadium – Madrid, Spain
- Watch: Paramount+
- Odds: Athlete +145; Draw +225; Leverkusen +180
Don’t miss anything from the Champions League. As always, you can find all our coverage at Paramount+, CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network throughout the season.
Championship stage so far
Atletico are 11th in the UCL standings with 12 points from six games with four wins and two losses, putting them just behind Lille OSC who occupy the final automatic spot. Leverkusen have 13 points from six with four wins, a draw and a defeat with 12 goals scored and only five conceded. Tied on points with LOSC, it’s a huge match with the two remaining matches potentially decisive to reach the round of 16.
Team News
Atlético: Jose Gimenez is out while Alexander Sorloth is doubtful but he could still make it while Marcos Llorente should arrive ahead of Nahuel Molina. Conor Gallagher should feature while Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez should start in attack regardless of Sorloth.
Possible Atlético XI: Clouds; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez.
Leverkusen: Martin Terrier, Jeanuel Belocian, Victor Boniface and Amine Adli are all injured while Florian Wirtz has been the star with 14 goals and nine assists in 28 appearances in all competitions. The German will be No.10 behind Patrik Schick who has been in great form of late with 16 goals in all competitions, including just one in the UCL – so far.
Possible Leverkusen XI: Hradecky; Mukiele, Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie; Palace, Xhaka; Frimpong, Wirtz, Grimaldo; Schick.
Prediction
This one is close and too close to call, which should be reflected on the pitch, with Atletico and Leverkusen having the quality to pull out a win even though a draw seems most likely. Take: Atlético 1, Leverkusen 1.
