Atletico Madrid Must Take Advantage of Champions League Draw vs. Leverkusen

After losing their first league match at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday evening in 19 months, Atletico Madrid received some slightly more fortunate news on Monday morning when the Champions League draw was made.

Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Arsenal were possible opponents for Diego Simeone's group winners, so they will have been happy to have been paired with Bayer Leverkusen.

Of course, as captain Gabi has already pointed out, per Spanish publication Marca, German sides always compete well, but last season’s runners up will have to fancy their chances of making the quarter-finals again this year.

Not least because they're so strong defensively as a team.

They were beaten 3-2 by Olympiakos in Greece in the opening game of this season's competition, but that must go down as an anomaly.

In their following five matches—including two games with Italian champions Juventus—they haven't conceded a single goal; only Real Madrid and Monaco conceded less in the group stage.

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Meanwhile, only one of the sides in the last 16 scored less goals than the seven goals Leverkusen struck to qualify, and that was the team that topped Roger Schmidt side's group, Monaco, with just four.

However, they do have strengths as well.

They currently sit third in the Bundesliga, heading a group of five teams currently on either 24 or 23 points.

Bayern Munich are 15 points clear at the top, though, while second placed Wolfsburg have a six point advantage on Leverkusen.

As Toni Juanmarti points out in Sport, Schmidt's men are impressive at home.

They've lost just once at the BayArena this season, going down 1-0 to Monaco in the Champions League.

As for their players, Juanmarti also referenced the emergence of talented young Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, who signed for the club from Hamburg in the summer for around £10 million.

Lars Bender is another coveted player within their squad, with the club being forced to deny recent rumours linking the German midfielder with a move to Barcelona, per Carlos Dominguez of Sport.

But this is Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid. However good Calhanoglu and Bender are, Los Rojiblancos have faced better.

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Defeat to Villarreal at the weekend was a shock, but it doesn't throw up questions about the club's direction under the Argentine—that is crystal clear.

They've already beaten Real Madrid twice this season and dealt with Juventus in the group stages.

Bayer Leverkusen shouldn't complicate things too much.

Atleti's qualities lie in their strength, organisation and ability to give 100 percent in every match they play—they never underestimate anyone.

Players like Antoine Griezmann, Koke, Arda Turan and Mario Mandzukic also add a bit of stardust.

Last season they beat AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea on their way to the final and were seconds away from winning the final against Real Madrid in Lisbon. Then Sergio Ramos happened.

For all those reasons, they'll rightly be heavy favourites for this Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen; they need to take advantage of that tag.

Tougher tasks will lie ahead.