Atletico Madrid vs. Bayern Munich: Complete Player-by-Player Breakdown
Atletico Madrid play host to Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final tie.
The Spaniards overcame fellow La Liga side and tournament favorites Barcelona in the quarter-finals, and stand just two games away from a potential return to the championship match after reaching the final in 2014.
Now that Barca are out, Bayern are the odds-on favorites to win the Champions League in the eyes of many betting agencies (via Odds Checker). However, they will have to overcome tougher opposition than their quarter-finals opponents, Benfica, if they are to advance to their first final under Pep Guardiola.
Both Atleti and Bayern will bring world-class squads to the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday. But which will have the personnel advantage?
Click "Begin Slideshow" to see B/R's player-by-player analysis of the players most likely to start in Wednesday's clash.
Goalkeepers
1 of 5
Jan Oblak vs. Manuel Neuer
When Thibaut Courtois returned to Chelsea following his loan, there were some doubts as to whether Jan Oblak could fill his predecessor's boots. In fairness to the Slovenian, he's done an excellent job as Atleti's last man.
Oblak has conceded just 16 goals in La Liga—by far the best in the league—and kept 22 clean sheets in 35 games. In the Champions League, he's conceded just five goals and kept seven clean sheets in 10 games. He has size, great positioning and handling, and superb reflexes as well.
Neuer, though, is widely regarded as Europe's best goalkeeper and has been for several years. He's had better seasons than the current one, but at 30 years of age, is far from past his prime.
The Germany international has conceded just 14 goals in the Bundesliga and kept 26 clean sheets in all competitions. And critically, he's a Champions League and World Cup winner. His experience and class give him a slight edge.
Grades:
Oblak: A
Neuer: A+
Defenders
2 of 5
Right-Back: Juanfran vs. Philipp Lahm
Some players begin to lose their quality as they enter their 30s, but Juanfran is an example of the exact opposite. The right-back seems to get better with age, and the fact that he plays in perhaps Europe's best defense is clear evidence of his enduring class.
Lahm, though, is just a cut above. Like Neuer, the Bayern captain is a World Cup and Champions League winner. He's one of the cleanest tacklers in Europe, has phenomenal positioning instincts and gets forward with the quality of a winger. He's a real leader, and despite being 32 years of age, still is a top-class player.
Grades:
Juanfran: A
Lahm: A+
Centre-Back: Jose Gimenez vs. Javi Martinez
Diego Godin may be the face of the Atleti defense, but Gimenez has grown into his own as a quality defender. The Uruguayan is a brilliant and aggressive marker, and his tackling ability is superb. At just 21 years of age, he's already made great strides in his career. And he might be one of Europe's top defenders for years to come.
Martinez returned from injury earlier this month and has been a welcome addition in a squad that had had its central-defensive options decimated by injuries. Although he made a name for himself in midfield during Jupp Heynckes' tenure at the Allianz Arena, he's become a reliable centre-back for Bayern. Like Gimenez, he's an aggressive terrier of a defender. And at 190cm, he brings much-needed height to an otherwise undersized Bayern defense.
Grades:
Gimenez: B+
Martinez: B+
Centre-Back: Lucas Hernandez vs. David Alaba
Hernandez has huge boots to fill as he starts in place of the injured Godin in the Atleti defense. Just 20 years of age, he is young and lacking in experience. But the Frenchman has developed from a Youth League player to a reliable first-teamer in 2016, playing all 180 minutes in the Champions League quarter-finals against Barca. He'll need to be at his very best against Bayern if Atleti are to succeed.
Alaba is perhaps the world's best left-back, but with Jerome Boateng lacking match practice, he's likely to continue playing in central defense at least during the first leg of the Atleti tie. The Austrian has surprised many by filling in quite well at the back despite being undersized. However, he really isn't a centre-back and could be exposed on the grand stage by a ruthless Atleti team.
Grades:
Hernandez: B
Alaba: A-
Left-Back: Filipe Luis vs. Juan Bernat
Filipe Luis has rebounded from a disappointing spell at Chelsea with a great campaign this season for Atleti. The Brazilian is a perfect fit in Diego Simeone's team, a tireless runner on the wing who can attack as well as he can defend.
If Hernandez is Atleti's weak link in defense, Bernat is the same for Bayern. The Spaniard is great on the ball and offers plenty going forward, but he is perhaps a bit lacking in physicality and is thus suspect in defense. Bayern hold the ball well, though, and Bernat's dribbling and crossing could have a big effect on proceedings.
Grades:
Luis: A
Bernat: B
Central Midfielders
3 of 5
Gabi vs. Thiago
Gabi is Atleti's metronome in attack, the central midfielder offers the wide range of skills and attributes required of a player in his position. Although he generally keeps things simple, he's a magnificent passer over short and long range. And his work rate and positioning ensure the Atleti defense has good cover.
Thiago is an attacking midfielder used in a deeper position in his Bayern team, and he serves as a great option going forward from deep positions. His dribbling touch and ball control are simply phenomenal, and those attributes combined with his playmaking instincts and skill make him a deadly auxiliary attacker. All he's missing is a bit more defensive presence.
Grades:
Gabi: B+
Thiago: B+
Saul vs. Arturo Vidal
If Gabi is Atleti's chief distributor of the ball, Saul is his right-hand man. The 21-year-old is technically proficient enough to take part in the short-ranged, one-touch passing game, and he offers defensive quality from midfield. Like many of his teammates, he looks to have a bright future on the horizon.
Vidal is probably the most well-rounded central midfielder among Bayern and Atleti's options, and at the moment is in the best form of all. He's arguably been Bayern's best player of 2016, coming up aces time and time again in big games. Whether winning the ball, distributing, driving the ball into attack or even scoring, he can do it all.
Grades:
Saul: B
Vidal: A
Attacking Midfielders
4 of 5
Right Wing: Yannick Carrasco vs. Douglas Costa
Atleti's tricky dribbler extraordinaire is the winger Carrasco, who has blistering pace, sublime dribbling ability and is proficient with both feet. The Belgian has some excellent tools in his skill set, but for all his talents, perhaps should be more directly influential than his four goals and five assists in all competitions suggest. He could cause some serious trouble for Bayern on the wing, though.
A year ago, Douglas Costa was a talented but underperforming winger at Shakhtar Donetsk. He's been a revelation at Bayern, first filling in for the injured Franck Ribery and later Arjen Robben. With six goals and 18 assists in all competitions, the Brazilian has become one of Europe's best attackers. At this point, Costa is indispensable for both club and country.
Grades:
Carrasco: B
Costa: A
Left Wing: Koke vs. Franck Ribery
If Antoine Griezmann is the magician in the Atleti team, his best support is Koke. A pure playmaker, the 24-year-old has phenomenal vision and passing skill, and exceptional ball control. He has even proved capable of the odd long-ranged strike. Koke has recorded 16 assists in all competitions this season, and if Atleti manage to score on Wednesday, the odds are good that he'll play a role in it.
Ribery may have recently turned 33 years of age, but he's doing his best to silence the critics who claim he has passed his expiration date. The Frenchman has scored or assisted in four of his last six Bundesliga appearances. He will, however, need to step up his game against a phenomenal Atleti defense.
Grades:
Koke: A-
Ribery: A-
Forwards
5 of 5
Supporting Striker: Antoine Griezmann vs. Thomas Muller
Atleti are a phenomenal defensive team, but in order to win games, they need goals. To this end, Griezmann has been an absolute talisman. The Frenchman is reminiscent of Sergio Aguero in terms of his all-round ability: He combines blistering pace, exceptional dribbling control, refined playmaking quality and lethal finishing. The result has been 29 goals and seven assists in 48 appearances for Atleti this season, with his side still alive and in contention for La Liga and the Champions League titles.
Muller is a very different player from Griezmann, in that he is not and cannot function as Bayern's focal point. However, the Germany international is perhaps even more effective. Although not really a playmaker, he's provided 12 assists, and it's hard to argue with 31 goals in all competitions. Muller is an anomaly who can be hard to characterize, but he regularly finds himself in positions to decide games and rarely comes short. That's what makes him so great.
Grades:
Griezmann: A+
Muller: A+
Striker: Fernando Torres vs. Robert Lewandowski
The story of Torres' career is a remarkable one, with steep peaks and low depths. He's solidified his role as Atleti's starting striker alongside Griezmann this season, and he has occasionally shown glimpses of the player he once was. But his modest tally of just 10 goals is evidence that he still has some distance to go. Still, even in the nadir of his career, he managed to score for Chelsea to finish off Barcelona in the spring 2012. So he can't be underestimated.
If not for Luis Suarez being in the form of his life, Lewandowski would be widely regarded as Europe's best striker. The 27-year-old has 38 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions for Bayern, including eight in 10 games in the Champions League. A finisher, a creator, and a tireless worker who can be a nightmare for defenders to contain, Lewandowski is perhaps the most likely player from either team to make the difference and push his side into the final.
Grades:
Torres: B-
Lewandowski: A+
