Atletico Madrid looks to make a dream comeback in the second leg at Wanda Metropolitano against their city rivals Real Madrid who are leading 2-1 in the tie.
ATL vs RM Match Details
Date: Wednesday, 12 March 2025 / Thursday, 13 March 2025
Time: 21:00 (CET), 01:30 (IST)
Venue: Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid
ATL vs RM Match Preview
Atletico Madrid was forced to swallow another defeat in the hands of their city rivals Real Madrid despite Julian Alvarez’s screaming equaliser cutting off the hosts’ lead inside just four minutes. Brahim Diaz scored the winner only five minutes after the restart, piling the pressure on the visitors who failed to restore parity in the match again. The result meant Los Colchoneros have lost the first leg in a Champions League knockout tie on six previous occasions. However, it will be too soon to cancel them out as they managed to stage a comeback three times in that period and haven’t lost a Champions League knockout game at home since 1997. That incredible record is giving hope to Diego Simeone’s side to finally avenge their heartbreaks of previous meetings in this fixture and book a place in the quarterfinals. Additionally, Atletico have not lost to Los Blancos at their home in the competition's history. However, the team has lost consecutively before entering the second leg with a 2-1 defeat at Getafe this past weekend, sliding them to third on the La Liga table. Despite looking to have won the match after taking the lead in the 75th minute, Angel Correa’s red card and conceding twice in the final five minutes left them deserted. Now suffering elimination from the last-16 stage in front of their rousing home support will be a big blow to recover from in the rest of the season.
Real Madrid have not enjoyed playing the Madrid derby away from Santiago Bernabéu in recent seasons and haven’t won on the travels in the competition despite carrying a seven-year winning record in their rival’s erstwhile home, the Vincent Calderon. Los Blancos played a goalless stalemate in the first meeting at that venue a decade ago and then lost 2-1 in the semi-final tie of the 2016-17 season, albeit progressing due to their first leg advantage. Atleti’s new home since 2017, Wanda Metropolitano has been an even tougher hunting ground for the holders, winning just three times with only one victory in the last six meetings. However, they only have to draw on Wednesday to progress to the next round. Real Madrid’s 2-1 advantage looks substantial, which was their fifth straight knockout win and a 10-game unbeaten run in this period, making them a team to beat in the competition they are undisputed kings of. Carlo Ancelloti’s side also returned to winning ways in La Liga with a 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano at home to shake off a surprise loss to Betis the weekend before, giving them a boost before the second leg. Despite Real not hitting full gear with their performance lately, only a miraculous performance from the city rivals will prevent the holders in their quest for winning a record-extending 16 titles. Star midfielder Jude Bellingham’s return from suspension will help them even more in the second leg.
ATL vs RM Recent Form (all competitions)
ATL: DWWWW
RM: WWWLW
ATL vs RM Recent Form (Champions League)
ATL: DWWWW
RM: WWWLW
ATL vs RM Predicted Lineups
Atletico Madrid
Oblak; Molina, Gimenez, Le Normand, Javi Galan; Simeone, Llorente, De Paul, Lino; Alvarez, Griezmann
Real Madrid
Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Tchouameni, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vini Jr; Mbappe
ATL vs RM Dream11 Match Prediction
Atletico Madrid doesn’t look to lose their incredible unbeaten home record in the knockout stage at the Champions League so easily, but that will not be enough to overcome Real Madrid, most likely to snatch at least a point from the fixture. We predict a 1-1 draw and Los Blancos progressing 3-2 on aggregate.
ATL vs RM Dream11 Top picks
Captain Pick: Kylian Mbappe
Vice-captain Picks: Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham
ATL vs RM Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Oblak (Cr - 7)
DEF: Galan (Cr - 7), Rudiger (Cr - 8), Mendy (Cr - 7)
MID: Simeone (Cr - 7.5), Bellingham (Cr - 8.5), Valverde (Cr - 8), Llorente (Cr - 8.5)
FW: Rodrygo (Cr 8.5), Alvarez (Cr - 9), Mbappe (Cr - 9)
Vice-captain: Federico Valverde
Captain: Kylian Mbappe