Atletico Madrid Vs Bayer Leverkusen Prediction: Atleti Wants To Qualify Directly For The Last 16

Antoine Griezmann, sharpening Atletico Madrid's front line (photo: x @Atleti)

JAKARTA Atletico Madrid will try to rise from their shock defeat in La Liga against Leganes against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League continued at Wanda Metropolitano, Tuesday night, January 21 or Wednesday morning WIB.

Atletico are ranked 11th in the league stage standings, one point behind Lille in eighth position. Meanwhile, Leverkusen took fourth place with 13 points from six matches.

Atletico Madrid came to this match after their record 15 consecutive wins were stopped by Leganes last week. The defeat was a blow to Diego Simeone's side, even though they still led the La Liga standings.

In the Champions League, Atletico won 12 points from six matches through four wins and two defeats. Their position outside the top eight makes this match very important if they want to secure an automatic ticket to the round of 16.

Atletico have a good record against the German teams at home, with 17 wins from 25 matches. They also won in seven of the last eight home games in the Champions League. However, a 2-2 draw against Leverkusen in the 2022-23 group stage shows that the visitors could put up fierce resistance.

On the other hand, Bayer Leverkusen is in outstanding form, with 12 consecutive wins in all competitions. Xabi Alonso's side scored 12 goals and conceded only five in six Champions League games this season, making them one of the most consistent teams.

Leverkusen have just won 3-1 over Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga, keeping them in second place in the league standings, four points behind Bayern Munich. However, they had a bad record against the Spanish side, only winning three of 21 away matches in European competitions.

Diego Simeone had to lose injured Jose Gimenez, while Alexander Sorloth was doubtful due to fitness issues. However, Marcos Llorente is expected to return to starting XI as right-back, replacing Nahuel Molina.

Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez will most likely be the attacking duo, backed by Conor Gallagher who plays on the left.

Leverkusen will not be strengthened by Martin Terrier, Jeanuel Belocian, Victor Boniface, and Amine Adli, who are all sidelined due to injury. Florian Wirtz, who has scored 14 goals and provided nine assists this season, will again be the key to the visitors' attack.

Patrik Schick, who has scored 16 goals in all competitions, is expected to lead the front line, while Granit Xhaka and Exequiel Palacios will drive the midfield.

With Atletico looking to return to winning ways and Leverkusen in their best form, this match is expected to be tight, with a great opportunity for both teams to achieve a positive result.

Atletico Madrid (4-4-2):Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez

Bayer Leverkusen (4-2-3-1):Hradecky; Mukiele, Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie; Palacios, Xhaka; Frimpong, Wirtz, Grimaldo; Schick