RB Leipzig will be making their UEFA Champions League quarter-final debut with a reformatted one-off clash against Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday evening.
Julian Nagelsmann’s men, who came off a third-place finish in the Bundesliga, have impressively displayed their energetic brand of football in Europe, comfortably topping their group which featured the likes of Lyon, Benfica and Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Die Roten Bullen went on to announce themselves as genuine contenders by eliminating last season’s finalists Tottenham Hotspur with a 4-0 aggregate victory over two legs in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, Diego Simeone’s side, who finished third in La Liga, are a proven team in the Champions League, commanding more than a few upsets in the last few years. They did, however, suffer two defeats in the group stage this season and finished second to Juventus in Group D, with Bayer Leverkusen and Lokomotiv Moscow in the next two spots.
Los Rojiblancos re-established their position as one of the toughest teams to beat in the European tournament when they sent defending champions Liverpool packing with a 4-2 aggregate victory in the Round of 16.
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid: The road to the quarter-final
RB Leipzig
September 17, 2019: Benfica 1-2 RB Leipzig
October 2, 2019: RB Leipzig 0-2 Lyon
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October 23, 2019: RB Leipzig 2-1 Zenit Saint Petersburg
November 5, 2019: Zenit Saint Petersburg 0-2 RB Leipzig
November 27, 2019: RB Leipzig 2-2 Benfica
December 10, 2019: Lyon 2-2 RB Leipzig
February 19, 2020: Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 RB Leipzig
March 10, 2020: RB Leipzig 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Atletico Madrid
September 18, 2019: Atletico Madrid 2-2 Juventus
October 1, 2019: Locomotiv Moscow 0-2 Atletico Madrid
October 22, 2019: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
November 6, 2019: Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Atletico Madrid
November 26, 2019: Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid
December 11, 2019: Atletico Madrid 2-0 Locomotiv Moscow
February 18, 2020: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
March 11, 2020: Liverpool 2-3 Atletico Madrid
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid: Head-to-head record
N/A (Thursday night’s clash will be the first-ever competitive fixture between RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid).
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid: Recent form
RB Leipzig recent form (in all competitions): W-D-W-D-L-W
Atletico Madrid recent form (in all competitions): D-W-D-W-W-D
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid: Team news
RB Leipzig
Julian Nagelsmann will not have Timo Werner to call on this time around as the striker recently completed a sensational move to Premier League giants Chelsea for £47.5 million. RB Leipzig will certainly miss the German, who finished second in the Bundesliga goal-scoring charts with 28 goals to his name.
Ibrahima Konate will miss out on Thursday’s clash as he remains sidelined due to a hip injury while Marcel Sabitzer is a doubt due to a knee setback. Meanwhile, Yussuf Poulsen had just recovered from an ankle injury and is expected to make an appearance in the fixture after he was spotted in the training ground in the last few days.
Injuries: Ibrahima Konate
Doubtful: Marcel Sabitzer
Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone has a relatively full squad to choose from. Thomas Partey is a doubt for the much-awaited clash due to a muscular problem and it remains to be seen if he will start on Thursday.
However, Atletico Madrid were dealt with a massive blow earlier this week when it was confirmed that Angel Correa and Sime Vrsaljko have tested positive for COVID-19. Both players will subsequently be quarantined at home and will play no part in the game against RB Leipzig.
Unavailable: Angel Correa and Sime Vrsaljko
Doubtful: Thomas Partey
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid: Predicted XI
RB Leipzig Predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Peter Gulacsi; Lukas Klostermann, Dayot Upamecano, Marcel Halstenberg; Nordi Mukiele, Konrad Laimer, Marcel Sabitzer, Angelino; Christopher Nkunku; Patrick Schick, Yussuf Poulsen
Atletico Madrid Predicted XI (4-4-2): Jan Oblak; Kieran Trippier, Stefan Savic, Jose Gimenez, Renan Lodi; Marcos Llorente, Yannick Carrasco, Saul Niguez, Koke; Joao Felix, Diego Costa
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid: Where to watch
India: Sony Ten 2/Sony Ten 2 HD
UK: BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid live stream details
India: Sony Network’s SonyLiv app
UK: BT Sport app
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid: Start timing, venue and more
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid: Timing
India: 12.30 AM (Friday)
UK: 8 PM (Thursday)
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid: Venue
Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon (Portugal)
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid: Referee
Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid: Prediction
Both RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid have been in scintillating form since the return of competitive football but the Bundesliga side’s ability to adapt and compensate for the loss of Timo Werner will likely serve as the primary deciding factor of the game.
Diego Simeone’s men not only boast one of the meanest defences in Europe- with only 27 shipped goals in 38 La Liga matches and 7 conceded goals in 8 Champions League games- but they also have valuable experience at this stage of the European competition, making them incredibly stern opponents to overcome.
We expect a tight affair on Thursday night and a particularly frustrating one for RB Leipzig, who are tasked with breaching Atletico Madrid’s disciplined back-line without their leading marksman.
If Los Rojiblancos manage to find an early lead, we can see this game settled by a solitary goal in favour of the La Liga giants.
RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid final verdict: 0-1
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