Atleticovs.Slovan Bratislava

Atleti are sitting in 15th position in the league phase, while the visitors are languishing down in 35th position after failing to take anything from the opening five matchdays.

Match preview

Atletico are currently five points clear of 25th place and just two points adrift of the top eight in the Champions League standings despite the fact they made a concerning start to the league phase.

While they may have won their opener against RB Leipzig, Atletico were sitting down in 27th place after slumping to a heavy 4-0 defeat against Benfica and losing 3-1 in a forgettable home outing against Lille.

However, Diego Simeone's side have managed to get their European campaign back on track with consecutive victories, coming from behind to beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 following Angel Correa's stoppage-time winner, before they ran out 6-0 winners in their away meeting with Sparta Prague.

Those victories have helped form a nine-game winning run in all competitions, including a sensational comeback in Sunday's home league outing against Sevilla.

Trailing 3-1 at the hour mark, Atleti managed to pull level thanks to goals from Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Lino, before the former scored a dramatic winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time, sealing a memorable 4-3 victory to leave Atletico in third place in La Liga and just three points behind leaders Barcelona with a game in hand.

Having racked up 16 goals in their last four competitive matches, the Colchoneros will fancy their chances of getting the better of a Slovan side that holds the worst defensive record after the opening five matchdays of the league phase with 18 goals conceded.

In contrast to their hosts, Slovan are on the brink of an early elimination after struggling to adapt to life in their first experience of the Champions League main draw.

The Slovakian champions were given a harsh reality check in their opening two league phase matches, falling to a heavy 5-1 defeat to Celtic in Scotland and losing 4-0 in their home clash against Premier League champions Manchester City.

Two more defeats followed against Girona and Dinamo Zagreb, before they fought valiantly in their most recent Champions League outing against seven-time European champions AC Milan.

Tigran Barseghyan and Nino Marcelli both got on the scoresheet as Slovan ran the Italian giants close, but goals from Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao and Tammy Abraham proved enough to condemn them to a narrow 3-2 defeat, leaving them pointless with RB Leipzig and Young Boys at the bottom of the standings.

As a result, Vladimir Weiss's side are sitting six points adrift of the top 24 ahead of their final three league phase matches against Atletico, Stuttgart and Bayern Munich, highlighting the fact they need to pull off a miracle to reach the playoff round.

Slovan are set to make their first trip to the Spanish capital since they drew 1-1 with Real Madrid in the second leg of a UEFA Cup first-round tie in October 1991, but their hopes of avoiding defeat 33 years on will be tempered by the fact they have lost their previous three matches against Spanish teams.

Atletico Madrid Champions League form:

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Slovan Bratislava Champions League form:

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Team News

Atletico's Thomas Lemar could be available for selection, having returned to training following an eight-game injury absence.

Argentina international Nahuel Molina is available for selection after recovering from a hamstring injury to feature in Sunday's matchday squad.

Simeone could be tempted to bring some fresh legs into his midfield, with Koke waiting in the wings to make his fourth start of the league phase.

Alvarez has netted four goals in his last four appearances, while Griezmann has scored five goals in his previous four matches, and the pair are expected to resume their forward partnership for Wednesday's home fixture.

As for the visitors, they will be unable to call upon the services of Marko Tolic, who will serve a one-match suspension after being sent off in the closing stages against AC Milan on matchday five.

Defender Matus Vojtko sat out Saturday's league defeat to Zilina, making him a doubt for Wednesday's trip to the Spanish capital.

Barseghyan and David Strelec represent Slovan's main goal threats, having scored 26 competitive goals between them this season.

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez

Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:

Takac; Kashia, Bajric, Voet; Blackman, Savvidis, Kucka, Ignatenko, Zuberu; Barseghyan, Marcelli, Strelec

We say: Atletico Madrid 3-0 Slovan Bratislava

Written by

Ben Sully

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