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In the Champions League Round of 16 on March 10, 2026, Atletico and Tottenham Hotspur will play their first leg. Both sides are seeking success to compensate for struggles in their domestic competitions.<\/p>\n
The Spaniards reclaimed their usual third place last season. This year, aiming for more has not worked out\u2014in fact, they have to compete with Villarreal. In the Cup, they had a thrilling semi-final encounter with Barcelona: 4-0 and 0-3. The English side offset their Premier League failure (finishing seventeenth) with a Europa League triumph, but that did not save Postecoglou\u2019s job. However, his successor Frank, who started well, quickly faltered. By February, he was replaced by Tudor, but they began with a 1-4 derby defeat to Arsenal and continued to struggle.<\/p>\n
In the Champions League, Simeone\u2019s men initially suffered at the hands of English clubs: losses to Liverpool and Manchester City in the first three rounds. However, they then won three times in a row. January let them down, as they took only one point from two matches\u2014forcing them into the playoffs already in February. After missing out on a win in Belgium, they defeated Brugge 4-1 at home.<\/p>\n
The London side, despite domestic struggles, have performed strongly in the main European tournament. Their only loss came against PSG (after losing on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup in August). Three consecutive wins in the last rounds allowed them to reach the top eight and skip the first playoff round!<\/p>\n
Atletico vs Tottenham Hotspur: Key Stats and Trends
\nAtletico have won one of their last four matches
\nThe club scores an average of 2.40 goals and concedes 1.90
\nTottenham Hotspur have won three in a row
\nThe team scores an average of 2.13 goals and concedes 0.88
\nAtletico vs Tottenham Hotspur: Possible Starting Lineups
\nAtletico (possible lineup): Oblak – Ruggeri, Gankko, Pubil, Llorente – Alex Baena, Cardoso, Koke, Simeone – Alvarez, Sorloth<\/p>\n
Tottenham Hotspur (possible lineup): Vicario – van de Ven, Dragusin, Palhinha – Spence, Sarr, Bissouma, Gallagher, Gray – Simons, Kolo-Muani<\/p>\n
Previous Matches: Atletico vs Tottenham Hotspur
\nPreviously, these clubs only met in the unofficial International Champions Cup in 2016. The Spaniards won 1-0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"