Champions League | Round of 16 | 2nd Leg

Mar 12, 2025 at 8pm UK

Estadio Riyadh Air Metropolitano

Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid

(agg: 1-2)

Match preview

This Champions League meeting has always gone Real Madrid's way, in the 2014 and 2016 finals and the 2017 semi-finals, but Atletico will be hopeful having lost just one of their last seven home games against their bitter rivals.

In cup competitions, Atleti are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Real, winning four of them, and they will need to win again if they are to have any chance of progressing after last week's defeat.

Los Colchoneros have lost the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie on six previous occasions, but have still managed to progress on three occasions, with all of those comebacks coming in the second leg at home.

Diego Simeone's men did just that at this stage last season, coming from a goal down to beat Inter Milan in the last 16 a year ago, and Atletico's sensational home form in Europe suggests that the reigning champions will find it devilishly difficult.

The hosts have not lost at home in the knockout stages of the Champions League for 28 years and are unbeaten in 18 matches since Ajax won at the Vicente Calderon in March 1997.

However, Atletico's preparation for this game was not so good after they lost at Getafe on Sunday, when Mauro Arambarri's double condemned them to defeat despite leading after 88 minutes - their first defeat in 25 head-to-head encounters.

This means that Atletico have dropped to third place and have played a game more than leaders Barcelona, who remain a point clear, so a loss here would be a huge blow to their season.

Real Madrid will know they need to be at the top of their game to see off their city rivals, especially at this venue with a raucous crowd behind them.

After winning eight consecutive away games at the Calderon between 2008 and 2014, Real have won just three in 17 since then and have had little success since Atletico moved to the Metropolitano.

Real are yet to win away at Atletico in Europe in three previous attempts, but their pedigree in the competition means they will still be favourites, especially after becoming the first club to play 500 and win 300 in the competition following last week's win.

That success also marked Real's fifth successive Champions League knockout victory and the first time in their illustrious history that they have gone 10 games unbeaten in the knockout stages.

Los Blancos are also often capable of finishing the job from a winning position, having only failed to progress once in 22 previous ties when winning the first leg - against Ajax in 2019 - and are nine out of nine under Ancelotti.

However, like their upcoming opponents, Real were underwhelming at the weekend, although they did beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 to move level on points with Barca.

Despite taking all three points, the performance was lacking as Rayo enjoyed the majority of the possession and outshot Real 20-10 in a very peculiar game at the Bernabeu on Sunday that should serve as a wake-up call for Ancelotti's side ahead of this fixture.

Recent Performance

Atletico Madrid Champions League form:WWWWWL

Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):DWDWLL

Real Madrid Champions League form:WWWWWW

Real Madrid form (all competitions):WWWLWW

Team News

After Cesar Azpilicueta's return to the matchday squad at the weekend, Koke is the only player who will be missing for Atletico, with Simeone able to choose from a strong line-up.

Nahuel Molina and Robin Le Normand were just two of the first-leg starters against Getafe, and both retained their places despite the defeat, with the choice between the former and Pablo Barrios set to determine where Marcos Llorente will play.

Alvarez's stunning strike at the Bernabeu was his seventh in nine Champions League games this season, and he became only the third Atleti player to score in consecutive derbies at the Bernabeu in the 21st century, joining Diego Forlan and his strike partner Antoine Griezmann.

The importance of the title race meant that Ancelotti named a strong Real Madrid side at the weekend, with Vinicus Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo all starting.

Dani Ceballos is out with a hamstring injury and joins long-term absentees Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao on the sidelines, but Antonio Rudiger and Thibaut Courtois should be fit after not playing in the weekend win over Rayo.

Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy have also been rested, but all three should return to the side, with Bellingham's return from suspension the only change, while Brahim may be unlucky to miss out despite his match-winning contribution last week.

Possible starting lineup

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Molina, Gimenez, Le Normand, Javi Galan; Simeone, Marcos Llorente, De Paul, Lino; Alvarez, Griezmann

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Tchouameni, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vini Jr; Mbappe