Overview
Tottenham Hotspur ended a 6-game losing streak in all competitions when they drew with Liverpool in the Premier League. Richarlison's late equalizer at Anfield brought a valuable point for coach Igor Tudor's team.
Previously, after the 2-5 defeat to Atletico Madrid, many opinions calling for the sacking of Tudor appeared, but Tottenham still maintained faith in this strategist. The performance against Liverpool showed a clear improvement of the North London representative.
Although still struggling in the relegation race in the Premier League, Tottenham temporarily put aside domestic worries to aim for the UEFA Champions League, hoping to create a spectacular comeback to win a ticket to the quarterfinals.
In theory, this is an extremely difficult task. However, football always contains surprises, and if Tudor can take Spurs deep, it will be a memorable story. However, statistics do not support Tottenham as they have only won 3/16 of their recent European cup matches against Spanish representatives, while Atletico Madrid has won 10/14 two-round matches against English teams.
Atletico Madrid is also showing stability in the knockout round, winning 7/11 recent matches in the Champions League round of 16 and opening the score in 7/8 recent matches.
If they continue to score first in the second leg, Atletico will almost certainly have an irreversible advantage. In the context of Tottenham's shortage of players due to injuries and suspensions, the possibility of a comeback becomes even more fragile.
Although not having a perfect season, coach Diego Simeone's team still maintains the necessary stability. The 1-0 victory over Getafe last weekend helps them have better preparation for the next match, although the movement factor may somewhat affect fitness.
In fact, it would be a big shock if Atletico Madrid could not advance from their current position. If they win a ticket to the quarter-finals, they will face Newcastle or Barcelona.
Personnel situation
Tottenham continues to face a storm of injuries before the confrontation with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. However, they also welcomed positive news when Micky van de Ven returned after suspension.
Conversely, Spurs' absence list is still very long, including Richarlison (suspended), Yves Bissouma, Lucas Bergvall, Ben Davies, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Wilson Odobert due to injury.
In addition, the cases of Conor Gallagher (sick), Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha still need to be assessed before kick-off.
Tudor may make some adjustments compared to the draw with Liverpool, as Xavi Simons, Van de Ven and Randal Kolo Muani are likely to be given the opportunity to start, replacing Richarlison, Radu Dragusin and Souza.
On Atletico's side, Jan Oblak is absent due to a muscle injury, meaning Juan Musso will start. Rodrigo Mendoza continues to be absent, while Pablo Barrios needs to check his fitness before the match.
This may be the only significant change in Simeone's squad compared to the first leg, although many adjustments are expected to be made compared to the match against Getafe in the domestic league.
In attack, the duo Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez are likely to continue to play side by side, while Johnny Cardoso is expected to take on the role in midfield.
Expected lineup:
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence, Gray, Sarr, Tel, Simons, Kolo Muani, Solanke.
Atletico Madrid: Musso, Pubill, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri, Simeone, Llorente, Cardoso, Lookman, Griezmann, Alvarez.
The match between Tottenham and Atletico Madrid takes place at 3:00 AM on March 19 (Vietnam time).
