Atletico Madrid have some concerns ahead of their Champions League clash with Tottenham.
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Atletico Madrid are in a delicate situation as they prepare to face Tottenham in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. Atleti welcome Spurs to the Spanish capital for the first leg on Tuesday night, and they will be looking to make a statement to awaken what has been a rather ordinary campaign.
Atleti have been nowhere near the standard of the top two in La Liga, only head-to-head above Villarreal in fourth place, although Champions League qualification is very likely.
The Champions League and Copa del Rey are the potential saviours for Diego Simeone’s men, and they have already booked a very winnable final with Real Sociedad in the latter. Atleti only beat La Real over the weekend, so they will be confident of repeating the result and taking top prize in Sevilla next month.
As for the Champions League, Simeone’s men will believe they can at least reach the quarter-finals of the competition having been drawn against a relegation-battling Tottenham side.
Spurs are just one point above the bottom three, and while they have been much better in the Champions League until now, they don’t look as though they are in the same league as Atletico Madrid in terms of ability at present.
But there are some complicating factors, and one potential issue for Atletico is that as many as seven players are one yellow card away from a suspension. A yellow card for any of Pablo Barrios, Thiago Almada, Clement Lenglet, Robin Le Normand, Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill or Giuliano Simeone in the first leg will mean they miss the second leg in North London.
Lenglet and Le Normand are a key part of the Atletico back line, while Marcos Llorente’s quality and work rate is a foundational part of Simeone’s game plan. Barrios, meanwhile, is a key player in the midfield but is unlikely to start given this will be his first game back from injury.
Not only are those risks a potential boost for Spurs in the second leg, but the threat of suspension could lead to some players playing with a little less intensity in the first leg in a bid to avoid suspension.