terça-feira, 9 de maio de 2017

Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid preview: Team news, match facts, quotes, odds and more


Atl Madrid vs Real Madrid 2017 UEFA Champions League Semifinal Second Leg

Get team news, match facts, quotes, odds and more ahead of the Champions League clash.

Atletico Madrid have built a reputation for gargantuan achievements under coach Diego Simeone and have not given up hope of a remarkable turnaround against Real Madrid in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg.
Last week's chastening 3-0 defeat at the Bernabeu left Atletico needing a repeat of their sensational 4-0 win over their fierce local rivals in La Liga in 2015 to prevent a fourth straight European defeat by Real side who have not lost by more than one goal this campaign.
Real have also scored in each of their last 60 games in all competitions, increasing the likelihood of an away goal which would oblige Atletico to win by four goals to reach the final.
Real thrashed Granada 4-0 on Saturday despite Zinedine Zidane making nine changes from the team that beat Atletico so convincingly, while Simeone only rested one player in his side's 1-0 victory over Eibar.
With Real feeling fresher and their confidence soaring as they remain on track to win the domestic title, all signs point to the 11-times European champions piling more misery on their neighbours who they beat in the 2014 and 2016 finals.
Simeone, however, offered a typically defiant message ahead of the second leg, alluding to his side's remarkable title win in 2014 and their Champions League successes over the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
"On Wednesday we have an extremely difficult game which for some would be impossible, but not for us," Simeone told reporters.
"After the last game I told the players it was very tough, that we're facing the best team in the world that scores in every game but we can do it. I'm convinced we can, if I wasn't I wouldn't say so."

TEAM NEWS

Atletico were boosted on Sunday by the return of defender Jose Gimenez to training although they are still without right backs Juanfran and Sime Vrsaljko, who they missed badly in the first leg as they struggled to cause Real's defence any problems.
Zidane confirmed Pepe and Raphael Varane had returned to training, but remained coy on whether the defensive duo would feature in the matchday squad.

MANAGER QUOTES

"We're going to approach the second leg just as any other game, to go out strong and give everything," Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane told a news conference ahead of Wednesday's game at the Vicente Calderon.
"We'll see what happens then, but our aim wont change, the result changes nothing and we're going to try and score."

WHEN IS THE MATCH?

The match will take place on Wednesday 10 May 2017, at 7.45pm BST.

WHERE IS IT BEING PLAYED?

WHY SHOULD I CARE?

This is the last ever game at the Vicente Calderon, and it is almost certainly the last Champions League semi-final that Antoine Griezmann, Diego Simeone and other Atletico players will play in before the team is broken up in the summer. From a Real point of view, it is a chance to see Cristiano Ronaldo and others lead the team to a possible consecutive Champions League title.

CAN I WATCH IT ON TV?

CAN I STILL GET TICKETS?

MATCH BUZZ

MATCH FACTS

• This is a fifth European meeting for Real Madrid and Atlético, all in the European Cup, with Madrid having won all four previous ties.
• Atlético have won 29 of their last 35 European fixtures at the Vicente Calderón, losing only twice. They are ten matches unbeaten at home in Europe (W8 D2); this term they have won four of their five home games.
• Atlético's record against Spanish clubs in UEFA competition is W8 D5 L8 (W6 D2 L0 home). Their record in two-legged ties is W5 L3.
• Aside from the 1959 tie with Madrid, Atlético's only other previous European semi-final against a fellow Spanish side came in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League, when they beat Valencia 5-2 over two legs (4-2 h, 1-0 a).
• Madrid have won five UEFA Champions League semi-finals, and went on to lift the trophy on each occasion.
• This is Madrid's 28th European Cup semi-final overall, with the record W14 L13. They have won two of their last seven semi-final ties.
UEFA.com

BOOKIES' ODDS

Atletico 13/8
Draw 5/2
Real 17/10
To qualify - Real 1/50 - Atletico 25/1

Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid, Champions League 2017: Match Preview


On Wednesday at 10.30pm CET, we will know this year's second finalist of the UEFA Champions League, and hopefully, it is going to be Real Madrid. Real Madrid are coming into this away fixture with a huge advantage, but they must tread carefully and never assume that the tie is already won, because the second they do, it just might slip through their fingers.
Zidane's biggest task is to have the players focus on nothing but the game, keep them firmly on the ground, and prepare them to suffer. All of which he seems to be pretty good at. While mental preparation is going to play the main role tomorrow, he mustn't forget to decide how he wants to approach this game tactically.
He's got plenty of options thanks to many different player profiles in the squad. He can go with a more possession-oriented style with four central midfielders and try to dominate Atlético. Another option is to deploy our incisive counter attacks spearheaded by Ronaldo, Morata and Asensio, or to bunker down and let Casemiro sweep everything in front of the back four. Each plan has its upside and downside and it's up to Zidane to try to guess Simeone's approach and decide what is going to be the most effective option.
Speaking of Simeone, tomorrow he will lead Atlético into their last big European match at Estadio Vicente Calderón, and surely, he wants to end there on a high note. However, Atlético's performance against Eibar this weekend was far from ideal and it's apparent that Real Madrid's 3-0 thrashing has left its mark on them. From Atlético's point of view, it would be bittersweet to lose to not just any other team, but to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League in their last European game at Estadio Vicente Calderón.
I'm convinced that this fact alone will make Real Madrid's players even more sharper.

How to watch Atlético Madrid vs Real Madrid

Kick-off time: 20:45 CET, 02:45pm EST, Wednesday.
Venue: Estadio Vicente Calderon, Madrid, Spain.
Available streaming: FOX Sports 2GO (USA)Fubo.TV (EVERY Real Madrid game with a high-quality and legal stream, click here to sign up and benefit from a huge offer for new members and Managing Madrid readers).

Projected Line Ups

Real Madrid: Keylor NavasDanilo, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric; Asensio, Morata, Cristiano Ronaldo
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Lucas, Godín, Savić, Luis; Carrasco, Gabi, Saul, Koke; Griezmann, Gameiro

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