Two unfancied contenders for the Champions League crown bid to gain a first-leg advantage in Wednesday's quarter-final tie, as Atletico Madrid host Borussia Dortmund at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Diego Simeone's side dramatically eliminated last year's runners-up Inter Milan on penalties in the last 16, while their Bundesliga counterparts were 3-1 victors over PSV Eindhoven.
Match preview
© Reuters
Sometimes the bridesmaid and never the bride, Atletico became the latest victims of Inter's stingy defence in the first leg of their last-16 showdown at San Siro, where a solitary Marko Arnautovic strike saw the Serie A champions-elect take a slender lead to the Spanish capital.
Despite falling 2-0 down on aggregate to a Federico Dimarco effort, Los Rojiblancos hit back almost straight away through Antoine Griezmann before Memphis Depay's 87th-minute intervention forced extra time and penalties, where Alexis Sanchez, Davy Klaassen and Lautaro Martinez all fluffed their lines from 12 yards to send a delirious Atletico through.
By virtue of their mesmerising comeback on home turf, Simeone's crop will now participate in the Champions League quarter-finals for the third time in five years, but not since 2016-17 have the Spanish heavyweights progressed further; RB Leipzig (2019-20) and Manchester City (2021-22) have since sent them packing at this point.
However, Simeone's troops may have to pursue Champions League glory if they are to return to Europe's revamped top table for 2024-25, as despite overcoming Villarreal 2-1 in their last La Liga contest on April 1, a patchy spell of top-flight form has left the fourth-placed Rojiblancos just two points better off than Athletic Bilbao with eight games to go.
Only four of the hosts' last 12 matches in all tournaments have seen Simeone's team come up trumps, but Atletico have incredibly never suffered a Champions League knockout defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano or their old Vicente Calderon home, prevailing in 10 of those 16 contests and shipping just four goals in the process.
© Reuters
Since a 1-0 group-stage loss to AC Milan in November 2021, Atletico have gone nine Champions League home games without ending up on the losing side - winning each of their last four - suggesting that Dortmund well and truly have their work cut out this week.
Edin Terzic's troops defied the odds to top the 'group of death' with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United, though, thus earning a last-16 date with Dutch champions-elect PSV, whose reliable talisman Luuk de Jong rescued a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Eindhoven.
However, a quickfire second-leg finish from Manchester United-owned Jadon Sancho and injury-time strike from Marco Reus saw Dortmund get the job done at home, but the German giants have suffered three successive quarter-final Champions League eliminations since collecting runners-up medals to Bayern Munich in 2013.
Terzic's men took advantage of their Klassiker rivals' downfall on the Easter weekend, though, recording a fifth consecutive win in all tournaments with a 2-0 success at the Allianz Arena, only to have their momentum halted at an inopportune time in Saturday's 1-0 home defeat to Stuttgart.
Lying outside the Champions League places in the Bundesliga table on account of that narrow loss - albeit with only goal difference separating them from RB Leipzig in fourth - BVB can neither prioritise European glory nor a top-four finish before Wednesday's reunion with Atletico, whom Dortmund lost 2-0 to on Spanish soil in the 2018-19 group stage after a 4-0 shellacking at Signal Iduna Park.
Team News
© Reuters
After being forced to withdraw from the France squad for March's fixtures with an ankle injury - thus ending his record-breaking streak of 84 consecutive appearances for the World Cup runners-up - Griezmann is now fit and firing again at the tip of Simeone's attack.
However, his countryman Thomas Lemar is on the sidelines for the long-term with an Achilles tendon rupture, while defender Mario Hermoso will not be involved either due to a thigh complaint; Reinildo and Axel Witsel should therefore join Jose Gimenez at the back.
Marcos Llorente began at right wing-back last weekend, but the potential return of Nahuel Molina could see the former move into midfield to partner both Koke and Rodrigo De Paul.
At the other end of the field, Simeone has been handed a late blow over the fitness of Depay - unable to complete Saturday's training session due to a knock and now absent from the squad - so Alvaro Morata and Griezmann should form the two-man strike partnership on Wednesday.
Regarding Dortmund's availability, Terzic now has Nico Schlotterbeck back at his disposal in the Champions League after the German centre-back missed the second-leg success over PSV due to suspension, but Ramy Bensebaini (knee) is definitely missing.
The visitors must also make do without the services of Donyell Malen, who returned to training following a hip problem prior to Dortmund's recent defeat to Stuttgart, but he suffered a small setback before the contest and remains in the treatment room.
Meanwhile, Emre Can has emerged as a minor doubt after missing Tuesday's press conference through illness, but Terzic is "confident" that the versatile midfielder will be fit to feature against Atletico.
Terzic can call upon the likes of Reus, Sebastien Haller and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens should he wish to freshen up his attacking options, but Niclas Fullkrug should reprise his role as the visitors' focal point, despite now going eight games without a goal.
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Witsel, Gimenez, Reinildo; Molina, Llorente, Koke, De Paul, Lino; Griezmann, Morata
Borussia Dortmund possible starting lineup:
Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Can, Brandt; Sancho, Fullkrug, Adeyemi
We say: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Borussia Dortmund
Always a defensive force to be reckoned with in Champions League knockout contests on their own patch, Atletico have had the luxury of an extended recuperation period ahead of Wednesday's first leg, a welcome break amid their inconsistency domestically.
Dortmund's form book may make for more pleasant reading, but Terzic's side were toothless in their loss to fellow European hopefuls Stuttgart, and another narrow defeat could await the Bundesliga heavyweights as Atletico take a one-goal lead to Signal Iduna Park.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
