Can Atletico Madrid turn around their tie against Chelsea?
Atletico Madrid’s performances have dropped since they faced Chelsea in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg three weeks ago. The Rojiblancos have since been neither productive nor consistent.
Diego Simeone’s side made a good start to the season, which saw them romp to the top of La Liga. They still lead the league, but their lead has now been cut to just four points.
While they still have a huge chance of winning La Liga, Atletico Madrid’s Champions League ambitions are at risk of getting doused. After losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the Round of 16 first leg at home, the Rojiblancos face an uphill task to overturn the tie.
So far, all the teams that emerged victorious in the first legs have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, so it remains to be seen if Atletico Madrid could buck the trend and emerge triumphant.
Diego Simeone’s chance to make amends after first-leg disaster
Atletico Madrid were completely outplayed and outfought by Chelsea in the first leg, thanks to Diego Simeone’s unproductive tactics.
The Argentine set up his side to play on the defensive, which allowed the Blues to boss possession. The Atletico Madrid manager was subsequently criticised for the lack of initiative from his side.
However, he now has the chance to make amends against a Chelsea side that is unbeaten under Thomas Tuchel and haven’t conceded a goal in their last five games in all competitions.
The Blues’ defence will be hard to break down, and the only way Atletico Madrid could stand a chance will be by taking the initiative and going on the attack. After their atrocious first-leg performance, Simeone has no choice but to play on the offensive, as his side's Champions League hopes are in the balance.
Bright start key to Atletico Madrid beating Chelsea
As it stands, Chelsea stand a better chance of advancing to the quarter-finals following their narrow 1-0 win against Atletico Madrid in the first leg. However, the Rojiblancos can put themselves back in contention if they make a bright start to the game at Stamford Bridge.
However, another dire performance could all but end their European campaign, with Simeone already indicating that his side is only focused on grabbing a win at Stamford Bridge, no matter what it may take.
“We just have one result, to win. We have to take the match where we want, so we can win with a goal. The single idea is to win,” Simeone said in his pre-match press conference, as quoted by Metro.
“You can start winning in minute 84 or minute 10 because they are all possible results. The aim is to take the match to them after the second leg for the situation to be improved. We don’t know how they will think about the match, but I know what we want from the match which is to win it,” continued Simeone.
Atletico Madrid do have their backs against the wall, but they could overturn this tie by going all out against Chelsea on Wednesday.