Atletico Madrid are seriously under the cosh going into the second leg at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday evening in the Champions League.
Having lost twice to Real Madrid in the last three finals, it looks like Diego Simeone’s side will once again be on the wrong end of a big Champions League tie against Cristiano Ronaldo and co.
It was Ronaldo that did all the damage in the first leg at the Bernabeu, as the Portuguese superstar claimed a hat-trick for Los Blancos.
It is a tall order for Atletico Madrid, even with their fervent support at what will be the last derby game between these two sides at the Vicente Calderon.
Atletico do have a strong record at home in Europe but their results this season against Real Madrid suggest it will be a tall order.
Ronaldo also scored a hat-trick against Atletico in La Liga when they played at the Calderon in November and the pair drew 1-1 at the Bernabeu in April.
Team News
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid warmed up for the second leg with a 1-0 home win over Eibar.
Juanfran, such a key player over the years for Diego Simeone, is expected to return after missing the first leg.
Diego Simeone could go with a more attacking side than usual but will surely be wary of the tie getting away from Atletico too early in the second leg.
Real Madrid
Dani Carvajal picked up a serious injury in the first leg and will only play again this season in the Champions League final, if Real Madrid get there.
Zinedine Zidane was able to rest plenty of his squad on Saturday for the 4-0 win at Granada.
Gareth Bale remains out and is also tough and go for the potential final appearance in Cardiff.
Cristiano Ronaldo was able to go to Ibiza with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and the Portuguese superstar should be well rested to cause havoc.
Head To Head
Wednesday will be the 216th meeting between Real Madrid and Atletico in all competitions. Real Madrid lead the head-to-head 110 wins to Atletico's 54, while the remaining 52 fixtures have finished level.
Eight of those meetings have been in European competition, and it is Real Madrid that boast five wins to Atletico's one.
Incredibly, this is the fourth season in succession that these two teams will face off in the knockout stage of the Champions League, and it is a re-run of both the 2013-14 and 2015-16 finals, where Real Madrid triumphed on both occasions.
As well as meeting in two of the last three Champions League finals, the city rivals also clashed in the quarter-finals of the 2014-15 competition, with Real Madrid securing a 1-0 aggregate success to make the semi-finals.
It is the first time that the two teams are meeting in the semi-finals of the European Cup since the 1958-59 campaign, however, with Real Madrid progressing to the final after three legs of that particular match-up.
In terms of this season, Real Madrid recorded a 3-0 victory at the Vicente Calderon in last November's La Liga clash, but the points were shared in a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu just last month.
Eight of those meetings have been in European competition, and it is Real Madrid that boast five wins to Atletico's one.
Incredibly, this is the fourth season in succession that these two teams will face off in the knockout stage of the Champions League, and it is a re-run of both the 2013-14 and 2015-16 finals, where Real Madrid triumphed on both occasions.
As well as meeting in two of the last three Champions League finals, the city rivals also clashed in the quarter-finals of the 2014-15 competition, with Real Madrid securing a 1-0 aggregate success to make the semi-finals.
It is the first time that the two teams are meeting in the semi-finals of the European Cup since the 1958-59 campaign, however, with Real Madrid progressing to the final after three legs of that particular match-up.
In terms of this season, Real Madrid recorded a 3-0 victory at the Vicente Calderon in last November's La Liga clash, but the points were shared in a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu just last month.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Lucas, Godin, Savic, Luis; Gabi, Koke, Saul; Carrasco, Gameiro, Griezmann
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Navas; Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Isco, Benzema, Ronaldo
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