The Spanish Capital side are looking for their first three points of the UEFA Champions League campaign against the group leaders
Atletico Madrid play host to Dutch Eredivisie champions Feyenoord in a massive Group E clash that will set the tone for the race for the top spot in their Champions League group.
Diego Simeone’s men had an impressive run of form in the second half of last season as they finished only a point behind runners-up Real Madrid. They recruited smartly over the summer and are once again prepared to challenge whatever comes their way this term.
The Mattress Makers started their domestic campaign well but have tailed off recently. Granada were beaten 3-1 in their opening game before a stalemate at Real Betis preceded a 7-0 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano, their biggest-ever away win in La Liga.
Atletico are now winless in their last two games and are down in seventh in La Liga at the time of writing, having lost 3-0 at Valencia and followed it up with a 1-1 draw with Lazio on their first UCL night of the season.
The Spaniards took the lead against the run of play through Pablo Barrios’ deflected first-half strike, but the game ended in euphoric scenes for Lazio courtesy of a 94th-minute equalizer with the last touch of the match from their goalkeeper Ivan Provedel who entered the record books as the fourth keeper to score in the competition.
The desire to set things right will have lingered for two weeks by the time Atleti return to UCL action and they will be counting on their home atmosphere. Simeone’s side are notoriously hard to break down, especially in Europe, and they will be fully focused on getting maximum points here.
Notably, Los Colchoneros are unbeaten in their last five UCL games on home soil where they also haven’t lost domestically since January.
Theirs is a side built for important games such as this and they will be counting on loads of experience against their impressive Dutch opponents.
On the other hand, Arne Slot’s men have been one of the most exciting European sides since he took them to the final of the inaugural Europa Conference League in 2022 after his first season and did one better in the following year as they lifted the 2022-23 Eredivisie, the club’s first league title since 2017.
Now, they are ready to rub shoulders with Europe’s elite.
Feyenoord have scored 21 goals this season and are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions.
The Club of the People began their league campaign with successive draws but they picked up with a 6-1 win at home to Almere City and haven’t looked back since as they also dispatched Utrecht and Heerenveen 5-1 and 6-1 respectively. They now sit a single point behind the top of the table.
The Rotterdam-based club kicked their UCL campaign off to a dream start as Feyenoord beat Celtic 2-0 on Matchday 1. Calvin Stengs broke the deadlock just before halftime with a free kick from distance, then substitute Alireza Jahanbakhsh ensured the safety of the points in the second half with the Scots already down to nine men.
Feyenoord will be keen to add another three points that will put them in the driving seat of a tight group. Having been distant third favourites behind Atleti and Lazio, it will be a remarkable achievement should the Dutch somehow get away with a win.
Nevertheless, Feyenoord have a poor away record in their most recent UCL seasons.
Match tickets
This fixture will take place on Wednesday 4 October, kicking off at 5:45 UK time and it will be broadcast live in Spain on Telefonica as well as RTL and Ziggo Sport in the Netherlands.
Over 70,000 fans will be at the magnificent Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid to witness the action and you can get tickets for the match which are on sale via each individual club’s website.
This game is expected to be sold out in the Spanish capital so it will take a lot of work to get hold of Atletico Madrid vs Feyenoord tickets.
Supporters who are desperate for tickets can find theirs on a ticket reselling site.
Team news
Thomas Lemar is out after undergoing Achilles tendon surgery following his injury against Valencia while Vitolo will also be unavailable due to a long-term injury. Elsewhere, captain and leader Koke has not been seen since going off with a muscle injury seven minutes into their first match of the season.
However, they will hope to have Rodrigo de Paul and Memphis Depay back by the time they meet the Rotterdam side.
Goalkeeper Justin Bijlow remains out for Feyenoord with a broken wrist while Bart Nieuwkoop and Ayase Ueda are also long-term casualties. They will be joined by Luka Ivanusec who went off on a stretcher in the dying minutes against Celtic due to an ankle injury. At the same time, Top scorer Santiago Gimenez is also suspended.
Line-ups
Alvaro Morata is Atletico Madrid’s top scorer this season and he will look to deliver the decisive moment for his side as they gear up for an important European night. The Spaniard will be supported by Antoine Griezmann whose pedigree speaks for itself at this level.
Pablo Barrios will look to benefit from Lemar’s absence as the youngster makes a case for regular selection amidst the injuries in midfield.
Atletico: Oblak; Molina, Hermoso, Witsel, Savic, Lino; Saul, Barrios, Llorente; Morata, Griezmann
The 4-3-3 system has been kind to Feyenoord under Arne Slot and they will be courageous at the Metropolitano. Although the Dutch side should dominate ball possession, there is a very distinct possibility of them falling right into Simeone’s game plan.
Feyenoord: Wellenreuther; Geertruida, Trauner, Hancko, Hartman; Wieffer, Timber, Stengs; Paixao, Jahanbakhsh, Minteh
Prediction
Atletico Madrid are clear favourites for the game considering their home crowd alongside their history of pulling off incredible results in the Champions League. Simeone’s side are expected to surrender possession and territory for large parts of the game but they should still leave with the points.
The visitors will surely fancy their chances of getting something from the Metropolitan Stadium but Atleti will just be too much.
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Feyenoord