Atlético de Madrid open their Champions League home campaign against Manchester United on Tuesday, with Diego Simeone’s side looking to turn a strong domestic run into their first league-phase points after losing at Liverpool. The Metropolitano, which will stage the 2027 Champions League final on 5 June, will observe a minute’s silence and Atlético’s players will wear black armbands before kick-off.
Key takeaways
- Atlético have won four successive matches since their defeat at Anfield and remain unbeaten at the Metropolitano this season.
- Manchester United return to the Champions League after a three-season absence, their longest spell away from the competition this century.
- Julián Alvarez has scored 17 Champions League goals in 26 appearances for Atlético, including 10 in 13 home outings.
- United have not won since beating Sabah in the opening Champions League round a month ago and were also knocked out of the EFL Cup by Brighton.
- About 3,400 ticket-holding United supporters are expected in Madrid, with roughly 1,150 security staff assigned to the match operation.
A Metropolitano test with European consequences
This is Matchday 2 of the league phase, but it carries the weight of a much longer European week for both clubs. Atlético are hosting Champions League football for the first time this season and arrive in better form than their visitors: three wins and one draw from four home games, followed by four consecutive victories in all competitions after the setback at Liverpool.
Simeone has a full senior group available and intense competition for places. Alvarez is expected to start, with Álex Baena and Kang-in Lee also in contention for the attacking line. Baena has made the sharpest statistical start in Atlético’s squad, leading the team in both goals and assists with four goals and two set-ups.
The Argentine striker’s record gives Atlético a clear European reference point. His 17 goals for the club in the competition have come at a particularly striking rate in Madrid, where he has scored 10 times in 13 Champions League fixtures.
Simeone’s 25-man selection is made up of Musso, Obed Vargas, Mendoza, Johnny, Kang-in, Barrios, Sorloth, Baena, Lookman, Oblak, Llorente, Jonathan David, Arnau Ortiz, Hancko, Pubill, Julián Alvarez, Giuliano, Cuti Romero, Grimaldo, Hjulmand, Esquivel, Domínguez, Martínez and Castillo.
Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas, midfield prospects brought in during the winter window, have fallen out of the immediate picture amid that depth. Hjulmand has grown in Atlético’s midfield, while Koke has again become the side’s controlling presence. Lookman, meanwhile, is still working towards his preferred physical and playing condition. Simeone said: “Lookman is not where he wants to be and we want to see him there, but he works for it every day.”
The Atlético coach has refused to be drawn into dreams of lifting the trophy at their own stadium. “The final is at the Metropolitano, but we have to deal with reality,” Simeone said, returning to his familiar match-by-match approach. Atlético have reached three Champions League finals without winning the competition.
Defender Dávid Hancko believes the group have improved on last season, when Atlético came close to reaching the final. “This Atlético is even better than last season,” he said. “We were very close to the final last year and it would be fantastic to make it this time.”
There is, however, a recent record against English opposition for Simeone’s team to confront. Since the Champions League’s new competition system was introduced, Atlético have played English sides seven times, winning once, drawing once and losing five. Their only previous tie against United came in the 2021-22 round of 16: a draw at the Metropolitano was followed by Atlético’s win at Old Trafford through Renan Lodi’s goal. It was also a rare occasion on which Atlético overcame Cristiano Ronaldo in a knockout confrontation.
United’s last visit to the Metropolitano, in that same 2021-22 campaign, brought an 80th-minute equaliser from Anthony Elanga. This time, former Atlético academy player and former United Premier League winner Ricardo López sees the home side as clear favourites against the current United team.
United arrive under pressure, but with attacking threat
United’s European return comes after a historically long three-year absence from the Champions League. They are playing in the new league-phase format for the first time, and their opening win over competition debutants Sabah remains their only victory in the past month. Since then, they have failed to take three points and Brighton eliminated them at the first EFL Cup hurdle.
The difficult sequence has left Michael Carrick under serious pressure in his second spell as United manager, with speculation building around his position and Antonio Conte viewed as the leading possible replacement. Carrick nevertheless placed Atlético alongside Spain’s established giants in terms of preparation. “Atlético are extraordinary,” he said. “We prepare for them as we would Real Madrid or Barcelona.”
United do have significant quality to bring to Madrid. Baleba is back for the Champions League fixture and is regarded as central to their midfield. Ahead of him, Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha form the visitors’ principal attacking unit, with 13 combined goal contributions between them this season.
The English club have also built an unbeaten record against Spanish opponents under UEFA’s newer competition structure, recording three victories and a draw across Europa League ties with Real Sociedad and Athletic Club. Diogo Dalot, now an important part of United’s defence, had once been considered by Atlético before José Mourinho intervened to take him to Old Trafford nearly a decade ago.
United’s travelling schedule underlines the scale of their European return: Madrid is followed by trips to Como, Lisbon and Vila-Real. Before any of those journeys, they must negotiate a heavily policed night in the Spanish capital, where authorities expect around 3,400 travelling fans with tickets and have planned special segregation and access controls.
Earlier in the day, Atlético’s youth side beat United in the Youth League for their first victory in the competition, with standout goals from Joel Sánchez, Fitzgerald and Gross, including a top-corner strike from the No. 10. The senior meeting now offers Atlético the chance to make the Metropolitano’s Champions League return count — while United seek a result capable of changing the mood around their entire European season.
