Atletico Face Bayern in Champions League Re-match
The last time Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich squared off in the Champions League the La Liga outfit knocked the Bundesliga powerhouse out of Europe’s elite club competition. Bayern actually won that match 2-1, but went out anyway on away goals.
The two meet again on Wednesday night at the Estadio Vicente Calderon in Madrid.
In spite of their domestic dominance, Bayern have struggled away from home in the Champions League since last winning the competition in 2013. The five-time European champions have won just two of their last 10 away fixtures in the competition.
Under Pep Guardiola, Bayern had a particularly hard time against Spanish opposition, being knocked out by Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico in the past three seasons.
New Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping to improve results. But playing away at the Calderon is a formidable task, even for a top caliber team like Bayern. Bayern come into Wednesday’s clash riding an 11-game winning streak that includes the 5-0 destruction of Rostov in their Champions League opener.
Atletico also won their Champions League opener, narrowly edging out PSV Eindhoven in a 1-0 win in the Netherlands. Despite having drawn three out of their six La Liga matches, Atleti remain undefeated in all competitions this season.
Diego Simeone’s side will also be bolstered by their excellent home record in the Champions League; having won 25 of their last 30 European home fixtures. For neutrals, the match has the tantalizing look of pitting one of the best defending teams in Europe against one of the best attacking outfits.
Both managers will have nearly their full squads to choose from. Apart from long-term injuries to Holger Badstuber and Douglas Costa, Bayern are at full strength.
Atletico will be without midfielder Augusto Fernandez who is recovering from a knee injury.