Atletico Madrid host Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League with both sides vying for a place in the round of 16 at the end of the league phase. Diego Simeone’s men come into this 11th in the UCL standings and one point off the top eight with Xabi Alonso’s side fourth with 13 points from six games. The Spaniards lost in LaLiga over the weekend while the Germans were victorious in the Bundesliga.
A superb 15-game winning run — the best in club history — for Atletico was ended by Leganes although Simeone and his players remain first in the Spanish topflight. The capital outfit have won three and lost three of their last 10 meetings with Leverkusen with a 2-2 draw the last time they met back in the 2022-23 UCL. Atleti are strong at home against German sides with 17 wins and just three losses from 25 encounters with seven wins from their last eight at home in the Champions League.
Leverkusen beat Borussia Monchengladbach ahead of this one for a 12th consecutive win across all competitions. The defending German champions are second in the Bundesliga and four points off Bayern Munich at the summit with Sparta Praha their remaining opponents after Atleti in the league phase. Die Werkself have won three of their last 21 games away against Spanish opponents and have not been in the knockout phase of the UCL since 2016-17.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, January 21 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Metropolitano – Madrid, Spain
- Watch: Paramount+
- Odds: Atleti +145; Draw +225; Leverkusen +180
Don’t miss any of the Champions League. As always, you can catch all of our coverage across Paramount+, CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network all season long.
League phase so far
Atletico are 11th in the UCL standings with 12 points from six games with four wins and two losses which places them just behind Lille OSC who occupy the final automatic spot. Leverkusen have 13 points from six with four wins, one draw and one loss with 12 goals scored for just five conceded. Level on points with LOSC, this is a huge game with the two remaining fixtures potentially decisive in reaching the round of 16.
Team news
Atletico: Jose Gimenez is out while Alexander Sorloth is a doubt but he could still make it while Marcos Llorente should come in ahead of Nahuel Molina. Conor Gallagher is expected to feature while Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez should start in attack regardless of Sorloth.
Possible Atletico XI: Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez.
Leverkusen: Martin Terrier, Jeanuel Belocian, Victor Boniface and Amine Adli are all out injured while Florian Wirtz has been the star performer with 14 goals and nine assists from 28 appearances across all competitions. The German will be the No. 10 behind Patrik Schick who has been in strong form lately with 16 goals across all competitions although just one in the UCL — for now.
Possible Leverkusen XI: Hradecky; Mukiele, Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie; Palacios, Xhaka; Frimpong, Wirtz, Grimaldo; Schick.
Prediction
This one is tight and too close to call which should be reflected on the field with both Atletico and Leverkusen having the quality to sneak a win even if a score draw appears most likely. Pick: Atletico 1, Leverkusen 1.
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