Atletico Madrid take on the visitors Brugge in the second leg of UEFA Champions League round of 1/16-finals. First leg result: 3-3. The match will be played on Tuesday, February 24th at Metropolitano Stadium (Madrid).
Atletico Madrid have once again failed to truly match either Real Madrid or Barcelona. Moreover, in La Liga there are now teams trying to push the inconsistent and error-prone Madrid side away from third place — as Girona did the season before last and Villarreal are doing now. They also lost the Super Cup to Los Blancos back in January. However, in the cup they delivered a rout against the Catalans in the first semifinal leg — 4–0. That makes it especially important to give everything in the Champions League. In the main round, Simeone’s side initially lost to Liverpool and Manchester City, but four wins in 2025 secured an early place in the playoffs — which may explain the January results, including a draw with Galatasaray and even a 1–2 home defeat to Bodø/Glimt. Recently, Atletico have looked sharper in knockout matches, where intensity and focus tend to rise. The key now is finally to pull themselves together and deliver consistency at the decisive stage.
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Club Brugge cannot afford to relax anywhere. The Black and Blues are used to playing on two fronts. Usually this has worked well, but last season they ended another title race in the Pro League with a defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise at the final stretch. And even now, having beaten them in the Super Cup during the summer, Brugge are again trailing them in the Belgian championship (with Sint-Truiden also holding their level). At the same time, there have been successes in the Champions League. Once again, the team managed to reach the playoffs, although few believed in it. After confidently eliminating Red Bull Salzburg and Rangers in qualifying, and even starting the main round with a 4–1 win over Monaco, they then suffered four defeats and one draw before the end of the calendar year. As a result, only wins were needed in January, and Leko’s side delivered convincingly against Kairat and Marseille. Against the Spaniards at home, despite trailing 0–2 and 2–3, they managed to snatch a draw. Their recent results suggest resilience and an ability to respond under pressure. This makes them a dangerous opponent even away from home.
Before this encounter, the clubs had met three times. The record was perfectly balanced — two wins each and two draws. The second match should not be dull either — the total over 3.0 goals looks the right call.
Prediction for the match: Over 3.0 scored goals.
