Manchester City vs. Atletico Madrid: Probable Lineups, Predictions, Tactics, Team News, and Key Stats
An unstoppable force will clash with an immovable object when Manchester City plays Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Etihad.
On Tuesday night, Premier League leaders Manchester City will host Spanish champions Atletico Madrid for the opening leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie at the Etihad Stadium.
It will be the first competitive encounter between two teams who finished first in their respective leagues last season. It will also serve as a meeting point for two opposing mindsets preached by two of the top coaches in the business.
Pep Guardiola has long advocated possession-based football, tiki-taka, and passing the ball to the opposition. Diego Simeone's gruff yet efficient defense-first mentality contrasts dramatically with this eye-catching style. It promises to be a fascinating contest between two teams who are unlikely to abandon their respective ideologies regardless of the opposition.
Both teams have also failed to win the Champions League in previous years, losing in the final. While a win in the tie will not get them to the final four, it will put them in a better position to make another final.
Manchester City could not have wished for a tougher tie going up to their critical Premier League match against Liverpool. Simeone's soldiers will not back down, and unless they can hold their own, the citizens of the city may be in for an unpleasant awakening. The Hard Tackle examines how both teams might line up on game day and what techniques they might use.
Manchester City
Manchester City, last season's finalists, will be hoping to break Pep Guardiola's European hoodoo at the Etihad this season. While Atletico Madrid remains a tough opponent, Guardiola can't help but think about Sunday's probable Premier League title showdown versus Liverpool.
In contrast to the Round of 16, when Manchester City won the tie in the first leg, Diego Simeone and his team will be a far more challenging opponent. Ruben Dias, the hosts' star defender and reigning PFA Player of the Year, is still recovering from injury and will be unavailable on the night.
Kyle Walker, who incurred a three-match suspension for his sending off against RB Leipzig in the group stages, will join the Portuguese star on the bench. Guardiola will have a completely fit squad to choose from and should go with the usual suspects. The Catalan coach has a winning formation and will be careful not to disrupt it, as he did in last season's UEFA Champions League final.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Cancelo, Laporte, Stones, Zinchenko; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Grealish, Foden, Mahrez
Atletico Madrid is a Spanish football club based in Madrid.
Atletico Madrid's play has improved recently, as they are now on an eight-game winning streak. Los Rojiblancos aren't quite at their best yet, but they'll battle tooth and claw for every 50-50 at the Etihad.
This is the Spanish champions' third Champions League journey to England this season. They lost 2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield in the group stages before knocking out Manchester United in the Round of 16 with an outstanding 1-0 triumph. After kicking out the red half of Manchester, they will look to win the entire set in the two games against Manchester City.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Oblak; Reinildo, Felipe, Savic, Vrsaljko; Carrasco, Koke, Kondogbia, Llorente; Suarez, Felix
Figures of Interest
Manchester City and Atletico Madrid have never faced off in a competitive match before.
In his career, Pep Guardiola has faced Diego Simeone's teams four times, winning twice. Simeone, on the other hand, has won one game and drawn the other.
Atletico Madrid can win back-to-back games on English soil for the first time if they win at the Etihad Stadium after defeating Manchester United at Old Trafford in the previous round.
Under Pep Guardiola's leadership, Manchester City has won three of their four meetings against Spanish clubs.
Since Pep Guardiola took control in 2016, Manchester City has won 64 percent of their UEFA Champions League knockout games.
Prediction
Manchester City 2-1 Atletico Madrid