Atletico Madrid Can Recover in the Champions League Against Bayer Leverkusen

Atletico Madrid were disappointing in their 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League last-16 first leg on February 25, but the deficit is far from irrecoverable. 

After reaching the final last season, Diego Simeone's men were expected to overcome the Bundesliga club and continue their pursuit for European glory, but they faltered.

However, all is not lost for Atleti, as they have proved themselves to be courageous and spirited warriors during the Argentinian's time in charge. For example, they came from behind to eliminate Chelsea in the semi-final of the same competition last season. 

Moving forward, Simeone must instil that same winning mentality in his players to ensure their progression to the quarter-finals. 

Clearly, Atletico are suffering from a mini-slump at the moment. The hangover from their barnstorming 4-0 victory over rivals Real Madrid on February 7 has caused them to stutter.

They immediately followed that victory with a 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo. They managed to defeat Almeria 3-0 at the Vicente Calderon but lost to Leverkusen, and they could only muster a scoreless draw with Sevilla in their most recent game. 

In the opening leg of the Champions League round-of-16 clash, Atletico's full-backs were troubled by the pace and trickery of Leverkusen's two wingers; Karim Bellarabi and Hakan Calhanoglu—the latter delivering the winning strike.

In addition, the Liga champions missed the creativity of Koke, who is their highest-rated player, per WhoScored.com. However, the technically gifted playmaker is poised to return to Champions League action in the return leg, and Atletico will be undeniably buoyed by his presence in the starting lineup. Koke's return gives Simeone's men a massive psychological boost even before a ball is kicked. 

Although Atleti are not firing on all cylinders currently, they are still favourites to overturn the single-goal deficit and overcome the German side. 

This is because of Atletico's formidable home form. This season, Atleti have lost just two games at home—to Villarreal and Barcelona—and Simeone's men must maintain this impressive record to eliminate Bayer. 

Before the return leg, Madrid will come up against Valencia at home before travelling to Espanyol. These two games are crucial in establishing confidence for the visit of Leverkusen. 

However, Simeone's men have struggled in La Liga games after playing Champions League football in midweek, recording victories in just two out of the seven played. Overcoming Valencia and Espanyol in their next two games is essential for smooth pre-Champions League preparations and will determine their confidence levels for the Leverkusen game. 

The Rojiblancos come up against a Leverkusen side flowing with confidence, following their first-leg victory with a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over Freiburg in the Bundesliga. The attacking trident of Bellarabi, Calhanoglu and Heung-Min Son—who have 22 goals between them this season—will be a particular point of concern for the Spaniards on the counter-attack. 

But Atletico have been similarly devastating this season at home, racking up 34 goals already. Antoine Griezmann, their top-scorer, will be crucial to their attacking strategies, but Simeone will also have Koke returning to action, providing another edge to their front line.

Simeone remained confident of overturning the deficit, as reported by Sky Sports, despite an underwhelming performance and result. 

"They play as they do and they do it well. We each had a clear chance and they took theirs and we didn't. It could have been a worse result. But I am confident for the return leg."

It is clear Atleti have a real challenge on their hands in the second leg. Bayer are a side who play attractive, attacking football and can hurt Madrid, as demonstrated in the opening game. However, Atletico have the adequate firepower required extinguish the German threat. 

If Atletico continue the home form they have shown throughout the vast majority of this season, they should have little problem in progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals.