Contents
Match: Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea (Round of 16)
Date: 24-Feb-2021
Venue: Arena Nationala in Bucharest
Time: 01:30 AM (IST)
Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea: Can the La Liga Beasts take on the London Blues?
Atletico Madrid is at the top of the Spanish Table with a 3 point and a match lead on Zidane’s Real Madrid. Although Simone’s side is entering this match after a humiliating 2-0 home defeat to Levante and the giants have only won one match in their last 4 matches.
Atletico was not in form in the UEFA group stages either, winning only 2 matches out of 6 in the group fixtures. Somehow, those 9 points were enough for them to advance to the Round of 16.
Head to Head
This would be the first time they faced Chelsea after 2017-18 UEFA group stages, where the Blues took them down in their home ground by 2-1, and the next match was a draw at 1-1.
UEFA Champions League
2017 Chelsea vs Atletico: 1-1
2017 Chelsea vs Atletico: 2-1
2014 Chelsea vs Atletico: 1-3
2014 Chelsea vs Atletico: 0-0
UEFA Super Cup
Atletico vs Chelsea: 4-1
Form Guide
Atletico Madrid: WDWDL
Position in La Liga: 1
Chelsea: WWWWD
Position in Premier League: 5
Team News
The Spanish Giants will miss their key defender Jose Gimenez who was limped and exited the pitch in ATMs last match against Levante with a muscular issue. Yannick Carrasco, the winger, will miss too along with Vrsaljko.
Moreover, Hector Herrera tested positive for Coronavirus. Although, Suarez and Felix are both fit and will be heading the attack for Atletico.
On the other hand, Thiago Silva missed his last Chelsea match due to an injury, but he’s expected to return in this match. Kai Havertz and Pulisic are both in doubt, while Tammy Abrahim is expected to play the match.
Player Form Guide
Luis Suarez
Total Minutes Played: 1597
Minutes Per Match: 80
Goals: 16
Shots: 66
Jao Felix
Total Minutes Played: 1251
Minutes Per Match: 63
Goals: 6
Shots: 34
Timo Werner
Total Minutes Played: 1938
Minutes Per Match: 81
Goals: 5
Shots: 53
Predicted Lineups
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Savic, Felipe, Hermoso, Llorente, Kondogbia, Koke (Captain), Saul, Lodi, Felix, Suarez
Chelsea: Mendy, Azpilicueta (Captain), T Silva, Rudiger, James, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso, Mount, Abraham, Werner
Key Player Matchups
Savic vs Werner
Silva vs Suarez
Fantasy XI
Goalkeeper: Mendy
Mendy has been in great form recently. His pass completion rate is over 90 percent and his saves have been a spectacle to watch.
Defenders: Savic, Azpilicueta, Hermoso
Savic, Azpilicueta, & Hermoso all have a successful tackle rate of over 70 percent. They’ve been really defensive in their playstyle, it’ll be interesting to see which defense breaks first.
Midfielders: Jorginho, Mount, Koke, Saul
Jorginho is in form and has already scored 5 goals this season after being a defensive midfielder. While Mount has scored 4 goals and has provided 3 assists this season. On the other hand, Koke and Saul have been in some solid form with some great defense and attacking game.
Attackers: Suarez, Felix, Werner
The Suarez-Felix duo is one of the most deadliest attacking combinations in La Liga leaving behind the Vinicius/Hazard – Benzema duo. While Werner, will be itching to score goals in Champions league, his speed is exceptional and he’ll be looking to break with a counter attack.
Captain & Vice Captain Selection
The top choices for captain are Suarez & Timo Werner. They’ve been scoring goals like a machine. While for the VC choice you can always go for a scoring midfielder like Koke or Jorginho.
