Atletico Madrid Vs. Borussia Dortmund: Duel Dua Tim Bukan Unggulan
JAKARTA - Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund will meet in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, scheduled for Wednesday, April 10 or Thursday morning WIB, at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium, Madrid. These two teams, considered less seeded contestants, will fight to gain an early lead in the fight towards the top of the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid came to this game after beating Inter Milan in the last 16 on a dramatic penalty shootout. They had struggled in the first leg against Inter at the San Siro, but were able to bounce back in the second leg at home. Despite a 2-0 slump, Antoine Griezmann's quick goal and Memphis Depay's equalizer took them into extra time and finally won the game on penalties.
On the other hand, Borussia Dortmund advanced to the quarter-finals after winning over PSV Eindhoven 3-1 on aggregate. They have shown impressive performance in the Champions League, finishing at the top of the 'death group' containing Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Newcastle United. However, their defeat to Stuttgart in the last Bundesliga match showed their instability at the domestic level.
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The two teams will face a number of injury problems ahead of this match. Atletico Madrid will be without Thomas Lemar who has an Achilles injury, while Borussia Dortmund cannot rely on Ramy Bensebaini due to a knee injury. In addition, Donyell Malen's presence still doubts about hip problems.
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is predicted to place Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata up front, while Borussia Dortmund's Edin Terzic is expected to rely on Niclas Fullkrug as the spearhead of the attack.
With both teams having a good record in the Champions League this season, this match is anticipated to be an interesting spectacle. It will be interesting to see who will take the lead in this first leg and gain an important advantage in their journey to the semifinals.
Estimated line-up
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Witsel, Gimenez, Reinildo; Molina, Llorente, Koke, De Paul, Lino; Griezmann, Morata
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Ryerson,xides, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Can, Brandt; Sancho, Fullkrug, Adeyemi