Atletico Madrid vs. Olympiakos: How Atleti Should Line Up in Champions League

Fresh from their 3-1 victory over Malaga at the weekend, Atletico Madrid welcome Olympiakos to the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday in the fifth round of action in the Champions League. 

For Diego Simeone's men, this clash represents a chance to seal their passage into the knockout stage of the competition before the trip to Turin to take on Juventus in the last round of matches in Group A. 

In another gruelling season, one senses Atleti won't squander such an opportunity, with a pivotal clash against the Serie A champions wedged between important Liga games standing as something they'll want to avoid. 

Consequently, expect Los Colchoneros to be at their fierce and physical best on Wednesday as they tackle a side that has hasn't played in almost three weeks due to the indefinite suspension of league games in Greece. 

Below we take a look at how Atletico should line up in Wednesday's encounter, factoring in considerations Simeone must make. 

Definitely Missing

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Atletico are set to be without centre-back Miranda for the second game running as the Brazilian continues his recovery from a hamstring injury picked up while on international duty. 

Having formed a strong partnership with Diego Godin at the centre of Simeone's defence, the veteran's absence is a blow for the hosts as they prepare to tackle an outfit that prised them open when winning 3-2 in Greece in their first encounter back in September. 

But the form of his replacement, Jose Gimenez, will go some way to quelling any concerns regarding the strength of the hosts' back four for this clash. In his only two appearances of the season thus far, the Uruguayan has been outstanding, defying the inexperience of his tender age and showing why he is held in such high regard with his national team. 

In Doubt

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Mario Mandzukic's status for this clash is unclear after the Croatian left the field with a back complaint during the weekend victory over Malaga. 

For Simeone, an injury cloud hanging over Mandzukic might represent the perfect opportunity to rest the striker, who's laboured through some recent performances up front for Atletico.

Should the manager opt to do that, Raul Jimenez is the most likely candidate to come into the XI. While it's been a difficult start in the Spanish capital for the 23-year-old, the striker was impressive when replacing Mandzukic on Saturday and looked to be carrying significantly more confidence after his goals for Mexico during the international break.  

Line-Up 

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In other matches this season, we've encouraged Simeone to deploy that magnificent 4-3-3 that looked so good in the 5-0 victory over Malmo FF last month.

But Olympiakos have shown they possess a significant attacking threat thus far in the Champions League, having scored five goals in their two games against the biggest teams in the group in Atletico and Juventus.

One feels, therefore, that Los Colchoneros will line up in their more characteristic 4-4-2 that has consistently proven to be extremely difficult to break down.

Credit: Bleacher Report

In that formation, Arda Turan will push forward in his right-sided role when possession is won, while Antoine Griezmann is likely to play a roaming role as the secondary forward alongside Jimenez (assuming caution is shown with Mandzukic and he's rested).

The use of the 4-4-2 also ensures Tiago and Gabi can anchor the midfield, providing the back four with an incredibly resilient and hard-working shield against the Greeks. 

In short, Atletico won't be taking any gambles in this one given what's at stake. 

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