Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United: 5 Key Battles that could light up the UEFA Champions League RO16 fixture
Manchester United are set to face Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday in the Champions League.
This is the first time that the sides will meet in the Champions League. The last official clash was part of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, back in 1992.
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During this very encounter in 1990s, Atletico Madrid romped on to a 4-1 victory over Manchester United, knocking them out of the competition over two legs. However, the situation is a bit different this season. We could see Manchester United registering another famous victory over a new opponent unless Atletico Madrid can turn the tide.
Atletico Madrid and Manchester United's fairly disappointing run of form this season has suppressed key individual performances in the two camps. That said, Europe could witness a very enthralling tie in Madrid which could be lit up by some key one-on-one clashes.
Today, we take a look at five such key player battles that could decide the game in either side's favor:
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#5 Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid) vs Jadon Sancho (Manchester United)
With four goal contributions in his last five appearances, Jadon Sancho has really found form after a sluggish start to life at Manchester United.
The 21-year-old is all set to take on prominent right-back Marcos Llorente on the wing. Llorente has been touted among Atletico Madrid's top three players this season. This is thanks to his overall proficiency in both defending and attacking from wider areas.
The key point where this battle could be decided is the duels that will be contested by Sancho and Llorente on the night. The Manchester United winger is one of the best dribblers in world football at the moment.
But he will come up against Atletico Madrid's impenetrable right-back. Llorente wins 69% of his ground duels contested in the Champions League.
There is another side to this story. Sancho might just become a potential disrupter of Atletico Madrid's passage of play from the right flank. The former Dortmund starlet has won possession on 40% of his tackles in the group stages. This could potentially hurt the Spanish side, who have a huge attacking outlet on the right through Llorente.
#4 Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid) vs Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
A huge part of the footballing community remembers Luis Suarez from his frantic Liverpool days. Gone are the days when the Uruguayan terrorized Premier League defenses week-in and week-out. The Atletico Madrid striker has aged but that doesn't necessarily take his goal-scoring abilities away from him, even a bit.
On Wednesday, he will face England's number one centre-back and Manchester United captain, Harry Maguire.
What adds a flare to this storyline is the fact that Suarez hit a stunner from long range for their 3-0 win over Osasuna at the weekend. Maguire too silenced his critics with a fantastic performance against Leeds United as he scored a goal as well.
An in-form Suarez up against prime Maguire is what Champions League nights are all about.
According to Sofascore, Maguire is yet to be dribbled past in the Champions League this season. This is despite keeping just one clean sheet in six game-weeks.
Meanwhile, Suarez also seems to be in need of a few goals as the 35-year-old has netted just once in six group-stage games. If the Atletico Madrid striker scores a goal or two on Wednesday, this battle could potentially be the decider.