Why Real Madrid Will Not Look Forward to Champions League Tie vs. Atletico

While Real Madrid would obviously have been keen to avoid Barcelona and Bayern Munich—the two competition favourites as per Oddschecker—in Friday’s Champions League quarter-final draw, there was one other team they would have ideally liked to have dodged: Atletico Madrid.

The reason is simple. Atletico have won four and lost none of the six meetings between the sides this season. Two victories in the league and triumphs in the Spanish Super Cup final and Copa del Rey round of 16 were achieved with an aggregate score of 12-4.

In February, Atletico annihilated their city rivals 4-0 at the Vicente Calderon. It was not only Madrid’s heaviest defeat of the season but their heaviest under Carlo Ancelotti—in fact, their heaviest since the 5-0 loss away to Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2010, as per Soccerway.

In a display of ruthless efficiency, Atletico took full advantage of Madrid’s defensive weakness down the flanks, creating regular overloads that led to crossing opportunities from good advanced positions. All four of their goals came from deliveries into the area from wide.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

It was a performance that suggested Atletico and coach Diego Simeone now have the beating of Madrid, after a 14-year stretch between 1999 and 2013 in which Los Merengues went undefeated against their local rivals.

“Absolutely everything the coach told us would happen if we applied his tactics did happen,” midfielder Tiago said in the wake of the victory, as per Graham Hunter of ESPN FC. While other teams may have recognised Madrid’s flaws, it was Atletico who best exploited them.

By defending deep and narrow and breaking forward quickly down the flanks, Simeone looks to have found a potent formula for success against his club’s far richer neighbours.

And so, having avoided Barcelona and Bayern Munich, it was perhaps fated that Madrid would be paired with Simeone’s men in a repeat of last year’s final.

Ancelotti’s side were the winners on that occasion, with Sergio Ramos’ late equaliser taking the match to extra time, where goals from Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo led the club to their historic 10th European Cup/Champions League triumph.

However, that success is only likely to have Atletico even more fired up for this year’s meeting. Both players and supporters will be keen to exact revenge for a painful defeat in a match that long looked to be progressing in Atletico’s favour.

The Madrid camp certainly didn’t seem particularly enamoured with the draw, despite the fact that they will have home advantage in the decisive second leg.

“Atletico are a competitive side and we have faced each other a lot this season and know each other well,” director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueno told UEFA.com.

“They’re a side who know how to compete, they let in few goals, are good from dead balls and get the best out of each situation.”

That familiarity is likely to make it an intriguing tie, in the opinion of former AC Milan defender Franco Baresi—himself a three-time winner of the competition.

Ancelotti described his side as a “mess,” in the aftermath of the 4-0 defeat in February.

“They fought more, had more quality on the ball, had better organisation, everything,” he said, as per BBC Sport. “It is the worst game we have played since I have been coach.”

And the Italian will know that his side have to be much better organised and show far more desire if they are to progress to the final four at Atletico’s expense. Having come close to giving up a two-goal first-leg lead to Schalke in the round of 16, a significant improvement will be required if they are to become the first team to successfully defend the trophy in the Champions League era.

Atletico Madrid certainly have the mental edge coming into the tie. Real Madrid will have to be at their best, individually and collectively, if they are to continue on the road to June’s final in Berlin.

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