Atletico Madrid take on Manchester United in the Champions League this week and this tie could not have come at a worse time for Diego Simeone.
Atleti have lost seven of their last 13 matches in all competitions and to make matters worse they will be without some really important first-team players on Wednesday. On the other hand, Man United have only one major injury absentee.
The Spanish side played with a conventional 4-4-2 system against Osasuna on Saturday but as per some reports, Simeone has been fiddling with a 3-5-2 formation, something which he has been trying in training. We have a feeling the La Liga could use a three-man central defence to counter Manchester United as well as patch up the vulnerabilities in their side.
Away goals do not count so Atletico Madrid might try and be a bit more adventurous on their turf in the hopes of taking a lead to Old Trafford for the second leg. We are not sure how this match is going to pan out since both these sides have been pretty average lately but we are confident that the Atletico Madrid manager has a few tricks up his sleeves in terms of his team selection.
Atletico Madrid team news vs Manchester United:
If it’s a three-man defensive line then Savic and Reinildo will be partnered by Felipe while Vrsaljko moves to the wing-back role.
Yannick Carrasco will miss both the legs due to a suspension and if it’s a 3-5-2 formation then Renan Lodi is likely to play as the left wing-back.
📊| Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid will play in the Champions League round of 16 for the 8th time in 9 years.
They will surpass the 7 times that Atlético Madrid have played this round in its entire history. pic.twitter.com/n33VK3RsE3
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) February 21, 2022
Thomas Lemar and Mario Hermoso are both out with COVID and it’s unlikely that either of them will feature from the start against Manchester United. As per a report in AS, Lemar did not train on Sunday and might not even make it to the matchday squad.
Koke is another player who is an injury doubt. He could not take part in training on Monday due to an injury setback and there’s a chance he too will miss out on Wednesday.
If Koke is missing then Geoffrey Kondogbia, Herrera and Llorente are going to be the three midfielders who will start.
A week before playing Manchester United, Atletico Madrid lose 1-0 at home to bottom-of-the-table Levante 😳 pic.twitter.com/06mLZ5oEEi
— GOAL (@goal) February 16, 2022
Luis Suarez scored a beauty against Osasuna but the former Liverpool man might not have what it takes to trouble Maguire and Varane so Angel Correa should get the nod ahead of him.
Atletico Madrid’s absentees vs Man United:
Matheus Cunha – Ruled out.
Daniel Wass – Ruled out.
Yannick Carrasco – Suspended.
Koke – Doubtful.
Thomas Lemar – Doubtful.
Mario Hermoso – Doubtful.
Atletico Madrid predicted line up vs Man United:
Predicted Starting Line up(3-5-2): Oblak; Reinildo, Felipe, Savic; Lodi, Kondogbia, Herrera, Llorente, Vrsaljko; Joao Felix, Correa.
