Atlético Madrid – Tottenham: Spurs hunting for some breathing space in Europe 
Tonight the Wanda Metropolitano hosts a Champions League last-16 first leg that reeks of crisis. Far from their Premier League nightmare — where survival has become an obsession — Tottenham have a European escape. Opposite them, Diego Simeone’s Atlético had to grind past Club Brugge in the play-offs to force their way back into the big club stage and will want to boss things at home.
Atlético: defence wide open 
On paper, Atlético had to go through the play-offs to salvage qualification. A mad, chaotic tie with Club Brugge (7-4 on aggregate), blown wide open by a thunderous hat-trick from the Norwegian giant Alexander Sorloth in the return leg. If Simeone’s men used to pride themselves on ironclad defence, this season it’s more like an open house: 15 goals conceded in the group stage — the worst record of the teams in the last 16.
Recently Atlético were thumped 3-0 by Barça in the Copa del Rey (no harm done after their 4-0 first-leg win) before scraping past Real Sociedad at the weekend (3-2). Their true asset, though, is the Metropolitano. Four straight home wins, and at least three goals scored in each. A throwback: in 1963 Tottenham famously beat Atlético 5-1 in the Cup Winners’ Cup final. Don’t expect that kind of drubbing on Tuesday.
Tottenham: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 
It’s baffling. The Spurs can produce monumental masterclasses midweek (four wins in the group stage, finishing ahead of heavyweights like PSG, Real and City), then leak like a sieve at the weekend in England. Igor Tudor’s side suffered a fifth setback in a row across all competitions at Crystal Palace last Thursday (3-1).
The scoreline is brutal: an 11th Premier League match without a win and the unenviable position just above the relegation zone. The Croatian coach’s seat is red-hot and a bad result in Spain could be the end. Yet strangely, the Champions League flatters them. The Londoners grabbed five wins in the group stage (including solid scalps of Dortmund and Frankfurt) and have shown solid defensive foundations in Europe.
Probable lineups
Atlético Madrid : Oblak ; Llorente, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri ; Simeone, Koke, Cardoso, Gonzalez ; Sorloth, Alvarez
Tottenham Hotspur : Vicario ; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven ; Porro, Palhinha, Sarr, Gray ; Simons ; Tel, Solanke
Football Tips Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham
Atlético Madrid to win
Even with the central pairing Romero – Van de Ven set to return and plug a few holes, Tottenham still look like a rudderless ship in terms of their attacking structure under Tudor.
Atlético are flying at home and have the firepower to punish sloppy opponents. The home side should take control, break a Spurs unit that looks fragile mentally right now, and take a major step toward the quarter-finals.
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