Porto-Atletico Madrid is a match for the sixth day of the Champions League group stage and will be played on Tuesday at 18:45: statistics, likely formations, predictions, live TV and streaming
The thunderous elimination from the Champions League wasn’t enough to bedevil Atletico Madrid’s week horribilis. Even in La Liga, last Saturday, the Colchoneros ran into a painful defeat that only widened the gap between Diego Simeone’s men and the other two big names in the Spanish league, Real Madrid and Barcelona, now at +9 and +8 respectively. On the field of little Cadiz, just as had happened a few days earlier at the Metropolitano against Bayer Leverkusen, the dying minutes were fatal. After having recovered a two-goal deficit thanks to a double from Joao Felix, Atletico Madrid conceded the final 3-2 goal in the 99th minute: Ruben Sobrino’s goal sent the Andalusian public into raptures.
The negative protagonist of the disappointing Champions League night against the Aspirins was Yannick Carrasco, who missed the penalty kick awarded in the seventh minute of added time for a handball. An error that prevented the Madrid men from keeping alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout phase. In Group B, then, we have the names of the two teams already certain to play the round of 16. They are Club Brugge, first on 10 points, and Porto, one point less than the Belgians, who were overwhelmed 4-0 at home last week. It only remains to be seen who will go through as first and who will be relegated to the Europa League. Sergio Conceiçao’s team are not masters of their own destiny, but they will give nothing to Atletico, who in turn must win to avoid a possible overtaking of Bayer Leverkusen.
It will therefore be a real match at the Do Dragao, bearing in mind that the Lusitanians’ only defeat in Europe came in the first leg against the Colchoneros (2-1) of ‘Cholo’ Simeone. Porto, which at the same time in the league is collecting a few too many false steps. On Saturday, they did not go beyond a draw with Santa Clara (1-1), losing further ground to the much-launched Benfica, who flew to +9 from the Dragons.
Uribe
The Prediction
The match between Porto and Atletico Madrid, who are currently fighting for different goals, is likely to be another balanced and tense one. Given the Spaniards’ difficult moment, however, it is difficult to imagine them winning on a pitch that is always very complicated to violate. The feeling is that after a first half of ‘study’, the match could turn on in the second half, also depending on what will happen in the other match between Bayer Leverkusen and Club Brugge. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the number of goals scored in the second half will be higher than in the first.
Porto v Atletico Madrid likely line-ups
- PORTO (4-3-3): Diogo Costa; Aquino, Cardoso, Marcano, Sanusi; Otavio, Bruno Costa, Eustaquio; Evanilson, Taremi, Galeno.
- ATLETICO MADRID (3-5-2): Oblak; Savic, Gimenez, Reinildo; Molina, De Paul, Kondogbia, Witsel, Carrasco; Griezmann, Joao Felix.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
