Overview
Like the second season under Ange Postecoglou before, the European arena is becoming a rare "hideout" for Tottenham in the context of their Premier League campaign continuously encountering difficulties.
It is paradoxical that a team that cannot win in the domestic league plays extremely impressively in the Champions League. Spurs won 5 matches in the group stage, including 2-0 victories against Bundesliga representatives such as Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt.
This result helps them rank above a series of big teams such as Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea in the 36-team standings.
According to many opinions, the contrast between European form and Tottenham's poor performance in the Premier League partly reflects the harshness of English football compared to other major leagues, as well as the fact that up to 5 Premier League teams won direct tickets to the round of 16.
That theory will continue to be verified when Tottenham enters the next match with the goal of winning their fourth consecutive victory in the Champions League, while aiming for their sixth clean sheet in the last 7 matches in this tournament.
However, Spurs fans are still unlikely to be optimistic. The 1-3 defeat to Crystal Palace - although Tottenham opened the scoring first - extended their unbeaten streak in the Premier League to 11. This is a terrible record in club history. Currently, Spurs are only one point ahead of the relegation group.
Tottenham is also sinking into crisis after five consecutive defeats in all competitions, including 3 matches under coach Igor Tudor. The Croatian coach is even said to be likely to be sacked, but in the immediate future he will still lead the team in the upcoming important match.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid defeated Club Brugge in the play-offs. Diego Simeone's team drew 3-3 in the dramatic first leg in Belgium, before winning 4-1 in the second leg thanks to the brilliant performance of Alexander Sorloth, who scored a hat-trick to help Atletico advance with a total score of 7-4.
Despite being famous for their solid defensive style, Atletico finished the group stage with the worst defense among the top 16 teams, conceding 15 goals.
The problems in the defense of the Madrid team have not been thoroughly resolved. Atletico has conceded 5 goals in the last 2 matches, although the overall result is not too affected. They lost 0-3 to Barcelona in Copa del Rey but still advanced thanks to a 4-0 victory in the first leg, before defeating Real Sociedad 3-2 in La Liga.
That victory also marked Atletico's fourth consecutive home win, with at least 3 goals scored in each match. The only official confrontation between Atletico Madrid and Tottenham took place nearly 63 years ago, in the 1963 European Cup C2 final. At that time, Jimmy Greaves scored a double to help Spurs win 5-1.
However, in the current context, Tottenham's re-enactment of such a resounding victory seems to be just a distant dream.
Personnel situation
Tottenham's heavy defeat to Crystal Palace stemmed from the red card of Micky van de Ven after a foul that prevented a clear scoring opportunity in the penalty area.
However, the suspension of the Dutch center-back only applies in the Premier League, so he is still eligible to play in the Champions League match. Cristian Romero will also return to the squad after serving his suspension in the domestic league.
On Atletico Madrid's side, new player Rodrigo Mendoza had an ankle problem and had to leave the field in the first half of the match against Real Sociedad. The possibility of the 20-year-old player recovering in time for the first leg is considered very low.
Expected lineup:
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Llorente, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri, Simeone, Koke, Cardoso, Gonzalez, Sorloth, Alvarez.
Vicario, Danso, Romero, Van de Ven, Porro, Palhinha, Sarr, Gray, Simons, Tel, Solanke.
The match between Atletico Madrid and Tottenham takes place at 3:00 AM on March 11 (Vietnam time).
