Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham
, KO: 20:00 , Wanda Metropolitano
Atletico Madrid and Tottenham will contest the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie at the Wanda Metropolitano on Tuesday night.
After failing to finish inside the top eight of the league phase standings, Atletico Madrid were forced into a playoff tie with Club Brugge, which they ultimately navigated via a thrilling 7-4 aggregate success.
Since then, Diego Simeone's side have won each of their three subsequent La Liga fixtures, the most recent of which helped land our Euro BTTS treble.
The Spanish giants now switch their attention back to continental matters this midweek as they prepare to host Tottenham Hotspur.
After impressively securing their place in the top eight of the Champions League table, Spurs will be hoping a return to European action can provide some much-needed respite.
Igor Tudor has overseen three straight defeats since taking charge as Tottenham’s interim manager, the latest of which came against Crystal Palace and further heightened the club’s relegation fears.
How the bookies view it: Atleti to draw first blood
The pre-match odds suggest that Atletico Madrid will secure a first leg advantage on Tuesday night, with a home win priced as short as 8/15 on bet365.
Tottenham are as big as 19/4 on bet365 to claim a first leg lead in the Spanish capital, while the draw is also considered unlikely at 19/10 with the same bookmaker.
Head to head: History book dormant
Somewhat surprisingly, Atletico Madrid and Tottenham will cross paths for just the second time in competitive action on Tuesday night. The only previous meeting between the two sides came all the way back in 1963, when Tottenham ran out 5-1 winners in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final.
One side note that could be worth keeping in mind is that Atletico Madrid have already lost twice to Premier League opposition in this season's Champions League, having been beaten by both Liverpool and Arsenal during the league phase.
Players to watch: Sorloth to strike?
Having fired in six goals across his last four starts for Atletico Madrid, Alexander Sorloth looks the standout option in the anytime goalscorer market at 10/11 on bet365.
Dominic Solanke is expected to lead the line for Tottenham on Tuesday night, making him an appealing value pick to register at least one shot on target at 10/11 with bet365.
Predicted line-ups
Atletico Madrid head into this first leg with an almost fully fit squad, with Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo Mendoza the only players listed as doubtful.
Tottenham, in contrast, continue to be weighed down by a heavy injury list, which includes Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur and Wilson Odobert. On top of that, both Djed Spence and Radu Dragusin are rated as doubtful.
Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Koke, Cardoso, Gonzalez; Sorloth, Alvarez
Tottenham: Vicario; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Porro, Palhinha, Sarr, Gray; Simons; Tel, Solanke
Anything else catch the eye?
Backing both teams to score alongside over 2.5 goals looks too big to ignore at 11/10 on bet365.
Goals have been a regular feature of Atletico Madrid’s Champions League fixtures this season, with BTTS and over 2.5 strikes landing in eight of their 10 outings to date, including each of their five home games.
Further encouragement comes from the fact that this selection would have been a winning one in eight of Tottenham’s last nine Premier League matches.
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