Winless Slovan Bratislava are all set to hit the road to square up against 15th-placed Atletico Madrid on Matchday 6 of the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid will look to push for a place in the top eight with a win when they host Slovan Bratislava at Estadio Metropolitano on Wednesday night. While the visitors will look to create an upset, Diego Simeone’s team will be eyeing a third straight win in the UEFA Champions League.
The Colchoneros have three wins in five outings in Europe’s premier club competition. Back-to-back defeats against Benfica and LOSC Lille did complicate their chances of qualification, but they got things back on track with wins against PSG and Sparta Praha.
Atletico Madrid have won their last nine games across competitions and they will be looking to make it ten in a row when they face Slovan Bratislava. Given the kind of run they have been, they should ease past this fixture.
The visitors are 35th on the points table as they are yet to win a game in this season’s Champions League. Slovan Bratislava have conceded a total of 18 goals in their five outings, while they have only scored four goals. This game against Atletico Madrid could prove to be another difficult night for them.
They are top of the Slovak Super Liga and have won each of their last three games. Having given AC Milan a run for their money in their last UEFA Champions League outing, the visitors will hope to put up a strong fight against Los Rojiblancos. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone is expected to have a fully fit squad available for this fixture as Nahuel Molina made his return in the last outing, while Thomas Lemar is back in training and should be a part of their squad.
The home team will most likely introduce some fresh legs in this fixture, but they will stick to the 4-4-2 formation, where Jan Oblak will be in goal. Marcos Llorente and Javi Galan will be the full-backs, while Jose Maria Gimenez will partner Clement Lenglet in the heart of the defence.
Giuliano Simeone and Conor Gallagher will feature out wide on the flanks, with Rodrigo De Paul and Pablo Barrios pairing up in the middle of the park. The quartet will look to contribute on both ends of the pitch and provide the attackers with opportunities to bag a few goals. Finally, French forward Antoine Griezmann will partner summer signing Julian Alvarez in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez
Slovan Bratislava
Marko Tolic will be serving a one-match suspension after being sent off the in-game against AC Milan. Meanwhile, Matus Vojtko is a doubt after missing their last league outing.
Slovan Bratislava will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation against Atletico Madrid. Dominik Takac will take charge in between the sticks for the visitors. Cesar Blackman and Zuberu Sharani will be the full-backs, while Guram Kashia and Kenan Bajric will feature in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Danylo Ihnatenko will partner Kyriakos Savvidis. They will look to ensure that Atletico Madrid midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings.
Tigran Barseghyan and Nino Marcelli will feature on the flanks, while the experienced Juraj Kucka could be asked to fill in for the suspended Tolic. Finally, David Strelec will lead the line for Slovan Bratislava against Atletico Madrid.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Takac; Blackman, Kashia, Bajric, Sharani; Savvidis, Ihnatenko; Barseghyan, Kucka, Marcelli; Strelec
Key Stats
- This is all set to be the first meeting between Slovan Bratislava and Atletico Madrid.
- Diego Simeone’s team are preparing for their first fixture against a Slovak team while the visitors have squared up against Spanish opposition on eight occasions.
- Atletico Madrid have won each of their last nine games heading into this fixture.
- Slovan Bratislava are winless in the league stage of the Champions League.
- The Spanish giants have only lost one out of their last 12 home games in the UEFA Champions League.
Player to Watch
Antoine Griezmann
With 15 goal contributions in 22 outings, Griezmann has made a strong start to the new season. Having contributed towards a goal in each of his last four outings, the 33-year-old will be looking to continue his streak when he takes the field against Slovan Bratislava.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 3-0 Slovan Bratislava
While Slovan Bratislava did put up a strong fight against AC Milan in their last UEFA Champions League outing, they are unlikely to have an easy day against Atletico Madrid, who have been in red hot from.
With Los Rojiblancos winning their last nine games across all competitions, it is hard to see any reason why Simeone’s men could drop points at home. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 3-0 win for the home team.