Atlético Madrid Eyes Comeback Against Real Madrid in Crucial Match

Madrid, Spain — Atlético Madrid is gearing up for a critical match against Real Madrid, set to take place at the Metropolitano Stadium. The team, managed by Diego Simeone, aims to overcome a 2-1 deficit from the first leg at the Bernabéu. This challenge is not new for Atlético, as they have successfully turned around similar situations in the past.

Historically, Atlético Madrid has a strong record in UEFA competitions when facing a one-goal deficit after an away leg. Under Simeone’s management, they have managed to overturn the scores in three out of four instances where they lost the first match by one goal. These comebacks include victories against Bayer Leverkusen, FC Barcelona, and Inter Milan. The only failure occurred against Manchester City.

The most recent comeback was exactly one year ago, on March 13, 2024, when Atlético faced Inter Milan at a sold-out Metropolitano venue. Following a 1-0 loss in the first leg, Atlético found themselves trailing 1-0 early in the return match. French forward Antoine Griezmann equalized before Memphis Depay scored the winning goal in the 87th minute, propelling Atlético into a penalty shootout where Jan Oblak became the hero, stopping two penalties.

In the 2015-16 campaign, Atlético Madrid faced Barcelona in the quarterfinals, having lost the first leg 2-1, a match that was marked by controversy as Fernando Torres was shown a red card. In the return leg, Atlético bounced back with a 2-0 victory, with both goals scored by Griezmann.

The previous year, during the 2014-15 season, Atlético squared off against Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16. After losing 1-0 in Germany, Mario Suárez leveled the tie at home, leading to penalty kicks where Oblak, who replaced the injured Miguel Ángel Moyá, played a crucial role in their advancement.

In total, Atlético has successfully overcome 11 out of 17 European knockout ties after losing the first leg away by a single goal. With the Metropolitano once again set to witness a potentially historic match, the players and coaching staff are determined to replicate their past successes.

Meanwhile, Atlético’s training sessions feature key players like Clément Lenglet, who is pushing to recover from a muscle strain to be fit for the derby. Captain Koke, who has been sidelined since February 15 due to injury, is also hopeful to make a return, while Rodrigo De Paul appears ready to take the field against Real Madrid.