Preview: Atletico Madrid vs. RB Leipzig – Prediction, team news, lineups

Diego Simeone begins his 12th Champions League Campaign responsible for Atletico Madridwhen they welcome RB Leipzig to the Spanish capital on Thursday.

It was an excellent start to both teams' domestic leagues, with both coaches receiving generous support from their clubs over the summer.

Game Preview

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Although there have been recent rumours that Simeone might leave Atletico, the board has shown its ambition by signing several expensive players this summer, which has translated into points on the pitch.

Atletico are in the top four with eleven points from their first five games and have survived a difficult start unscathed, having already faced Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal and Girona.

The hosts also bring excellent continental home form to this clash, as in the last Champions League season they were the only club to have a 100 percent winning streak at home (five wins from five games).

The clash with another German team gives them the opportunity to build on their excellent home record against teams from that country. They are still unbeaten in clashes with Bundesliga clubs this century (eight wins, four draws). They also face Bayer Leverkusen later in the league phase.

Atletico will be hoping that the new format of the competition will bring them more luck after a series of disappointments in recent times, as they have never made it past the quarter-finals since their miraculous run of success between 2014 and 2017, when they reached two finals and a semi-final.

Upcoming opponents RB Leipzig inflicted one of those defeats on the Colchoneros when they beat Atleti 2-1 in a one-legged quarter-final in the COVID era in neutral Lisbon in 2020.

This remains Leipzig's best performance in this competition, as the other five participations ended either in the group stage or the round of 16.

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Marco RoseIn this new phase of the league, Liverpool's men face a tough task as they face top Italian clubs Juventus and Inter Milan for the first time, while also hosting Liverpool at the Red Bull Arena.

Also in sight are Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon and Premier League top-four intruder Aston Villa.

However, Leipzig believe they can hold their own after an unbeaten start to the season that included a heroic comeback win over Bayer Leverkusen, making them the first club in almost 18 months to beat the German champions at domestic level.

The international break came at the wrong time, as Leipzig struggled to build on the momentum from a 2-0 deficit at the BayArena, winning 3-2. When they returned to action at the weekend, they drew 0-0 at home with Union Berlin.

Although RB has dropped to third place, it has made a largely satisfactory start for coach Rose with its first two wins and reaching the next round of the DFB Cup.

Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

RB Leipzig form (all competitions):

Team News

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Atletico's squad was refreshed in the summer, with the 24-year-old pair Julian Alvarez And Conor Gallagher both come from the Premier League.

As a result, their average age has dropped significantly. In last season's quarter-final second leg against Borussia Dortmund, it was 31 years old – the highest average age the club has ever reached in this competition.

Both Gallagher and Alvarez scored at the weekend, the latter as a substitute, but the Argentine World Cup winner is likely to move into the starting line-up here and most likely replace Alexander Sorloth.

As for the injuries, Pablo Barrios (muscle) and full-back Reinildo (Leg) are the only two currently missing from the hosts’ side.

Leipzig will also have to do without two players for the trip to Madrid: Xavier Schlager Recovery from an ACL injury and Assan Ouedraogo Due to a less serious knee injury, he had to take a break for a few weeks.

captain Willy Orban is serving a national suspension after a red card against Bochum, but is expected to return to the team for this game.

Orban could play alongside the newcomer Lutsharel Geertruidawho came from Feyenoord towards the end of the transfer window and made his debut at the weekend, while Arthur Vermeeren could face his parent club after being loaned from Atletico in the summer.

Possible starting eleven for Atletico Madrid:
Oblak; Le Normand, Gimenez, Azpilicueta; Marcos Llorente, De Paul, Koke, Gallagher, Lino; Alvarez, Griezmann

Possible starting eleven for RB Leipzig:
Gulacsi; Geertruida, Orban, Lukeba; Henrichs, Haidara, Kampl, Raum; Sesko, Simons, Openda

We think: Atletico Madrid 3-1 RB Leipzig

Atletico have never lost at home to a German club in the 21st century and go into the game full of confidence after another clear win against Valencia at the weekend.

Both sides are very strong in attack, with Antoine Griezmann and Alvarez against Xavi Simons, Lois Openda And Benjamin Seskobut the home advantage and the Simeone effect could give Atletico an advantage.

Click here to see a data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this match.

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