Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s Champions League clash between Club Brugge and Atletico Madrid, including predictions, team news and possible line-ups.
Having won their two openings Champions League Games, Club Brugge welcome Diego Simeoneit is Atlético Madrid at the Jan Breydel Stadium on Tuesday evening.
In a group that promised to be tight as soon as it was drawn, this could be a decisive week for all the teams involved in Group B.
Match preview
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Carl HoefkensThe team are currently third in the Belgian Pro League, five points behind Antwerp who also have one game less.
Their league campaign has been disappointing, but they come into this fixture with a 3-0 win over Mechelen.
Goals of Ferran Jutgla, Edward Sobol and Tajon Buchanan sealed a comfortable home win for Brugge.
Brugge have been more impressive in Europe and have won two out of two in the Champions League this season, where a 1-0 win at home to Bayer Leverkusen was followed by a remarkable 4-0 away win at Porto.
It was that last game that showcased Brugge’s exciting brand of football to perfection, and grabbing a second clean sheet also showed the balance they have within their squad.
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Atletico have made a strong start to the domestic season, picking up 13 points from seven games, only losing to Villarreal and fierce rivals Real Madrid.
Their most recent win was an impressive 2-0 away win at Sevilla, where goals from Marcos Llorente and Alvaro Morata saw Simeone’s side take all three points.
Simeone made a tactical change for this match, as the Argentine went with a back four and played Matheus Cunha instead of Joao Felix in attack.
Last time out in the Champions League, Atletico were beaten 2-0 at Bayer Leverkusen in a game where the Spanish side created few chances despite seeing more of the ball.
Goals behind Robert Andrich and Moussa Diaby sealed victory for the German side, leaving Atletico third in the table with three points from two games.
Club Brugge Champions League form:
Club Brugge form (all competitions):
Atletico Madrid Champions League form:
Form of Atletico Madrid (all competitions):
Team News
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Both teams will be short of players for this crucial Group B encounter, so it will be interesting to see which team adapts best.
Brugge will miss a long-term absence Rit carpetwho is nearing a comeback following a ruptured cruciate ligament last season.
Next to that, Clinton Mata and noa lang will both be out with ankle injuries.
Diego Simeone has some injury worries ahead of this game, with defensive issues being a concern ahead of this game.
Defenders Stefan Savic and Sergio Reguilon are expected to miss through injury, but both have been sidelined since August.
Otherwise, Atletico enter the game with a clean bill of health, but they will be without a defender Felipe who continues a suspension from last season.
Possible starting line-up of Club Brugge:
Mignolet; Odoi, Mechele, Sulla, Meijer; Onyedika, Nielsen, Vanaken; Olsen, Sowah, Jutgla
Possible starting line-up of Atletico Madrid:
Oblak; Molina, Savic, Gimenez, Mandava, Hermoso; Llorente, De Paul, Saul; Morata, Felix
They say: Club Brugge 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Club Brugge look very strong in this year’s competition, but Atletico Madrid are still a threat when they need a result.
Home advantage will play a key role here as Atletico are likely to play against and frustrate their hosts, so a low-scoring draw looks to be on the cards.
For a data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this match, please click here.
Trick
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this game. Click here to find out what else they predict for this game and for more of their proven football tips.More than 1.5: data