Atletico Madrid take on the visitors RB Leipzig in the round 1 match of UEFA Champions League group stage. The match will be played on Thursday, September 19th at Metropolitano Stadium (Madrid).
Atlético Madrid have become closely associated with their coach, Diego Simeone, who also left his mark as a player in Madrid. He has survived many seasons, and while the last one wasn’t his worst, it didn’t offer much optimism. Although Atlético managed to get out of the group stage in the Champions League, unlike their previous attempt, they fell far short of the final. Domestically, "Cholo's team" finished below Girona, dropping into a battle with Athletic Bilbao. In the end, they lost both Copa del Rey semifinal matches to the Basque side but overtook them in the race for 4th place in La Liga. Unsurprisingly, the summer brought a squad overhaul. The club parted ways with players like Hermoso, Savic, Saúl, João Félix, Depay, and Morata—though they only earned substantial fees from the latter two and Omorodion, who was on loan. The newcomers, however, were expensive: Sørloth, Le Normand, Gallagher, and the record-breaking Álvarez. Nonetheless, Atlético drew 2-2 with Villarreal and failed to score against Espanyol. But they confidently beat Valencia.
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RB Leipzig showed strong form again. The "Red Bulls" faced a challenging situation last season. Once again, they sold several key players, including Szoboszlai and Gvardiol. Additionally, both Bayer Leverkusen and Girona performed exceptionally well. Maintaining a spot among the top clubs required all of Marco Rose's expertise. He succeeded, and his team engaged in a tough battle with Borussia Dortmund for 4th place, which secured a Champions League spot. The new tournament regulations also played a role, as UEFA had already announced that five Bundesliga teams would qualify, reducing the pressure of the race. In the summer, Leipzig continued to sell homegrown talents for good money: Olmo returned to Barcelona, and Simakan moved to the Middle East. However, a large portion of the €100 million earned was reinvested in new players. Notably, €10 million was spent on promising goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt, though veteran Péter Gulácsi remains the starting keeper. Leipzig finished the summer with a victory over Bayer, defeating the champions in Leverkusen. However, their last match against Union Berlin ended in a 0-0 draw.
In 2020, they met in the "coronavirus" quarterfinal in Lisbon, where the inexperienced German side pulled off a surprise victory. Atlético is more experienced and playing at home. Bet on them securing the win.
Prediction for the match: Atletico Madrid to win.
