Atletico Madrid and Juventus to play close first leg match
Jose Breton- Pics Action / Shutterstock.com
Atletico Madrid host Juventus is an exciting Champions League last-16 tie at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday night. Diego Simeone’s team has turned the venue into a defensive fortress. Atletico allowed just one goal at home in the group stage while keeping two clean sheets.
On the domestic front, Atletico have conceded seven goals at the Wanda, La Liga’s fewest. Juventus will have their work cut out for them as they attempt to break down Atletico’s strong defence.
Juventus topped Group H ahead of Manchester United. The Bianconeri started the competition well winning their first three fixtures. But Massimiliano Allegri’s team lost two of their last three tournament games. Juventus posted a +5-goal difference in the group stage scoring nine times and conceding four strikes to opponents.
Simeon’s side won at the weekend against Rayo Vallecano, 1-0. It ended a surprise two match losing streak in La Liga. Atletico have lost just three times in the league, but an inability to score goals (34) has prevented them from truly challenging Barcelona for the title. Antoine Griezmann continues to be Atletico’s most important player having scored 16 goals in both La Liga and the Champions league. He has added nine assists. Everything good Atletico have done has come through Griezmann.
The Bianconeri are undefeated in Serie A having conceded just 15 times and scoring 52 goals. Cristiano Ronaldo’s addition has made them even stronger domestically. The Portuguese star has scored 20 times in Serie A and the Champions League combined. Strangely, Ronaldo has only found the back of the net once in the Champions League.
Of course, Ronaldo will be the key to Juventus. The forward is familiar with Atletico and regularly punished the Mattress Makers while playing at Real Madrid. In 31 games against Atletico, Ronaldo has tallied 22 goals and eight assists while winning 15 games and drawing eight.
Atletico and Juventus met in the Champions league during the 2014-15 group stage. Atletico won 1-0 at home before drawing nil-nil away to Juventus. Despite topping Juventus, it was the Bianconeri who qualified for the final against Barcelona. The Spanish side have plenty of motivation as this year’s final will be played at the Wanda.
Simeone will be without Lucas Hernandez and Koke due to injuries. Meanwhile, Juventus will be without Douglas Costa, Juan Cuadrado, and Daniele Rugani. Costa and Rugani could be last minute additions as they have resumed training.
Wednesday’s game at the Wanda is set to be a defensive struggle between two of Europe’s best. Don’t expect goals galore in this game as these two teams will finish level in a low-scoring draw.
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