Atletico Madrid face Porto at the Wanda Metropolitano this evening in their first Champions League tie of the 2021/22 season. Given Barcelona, Sevilla and Villarreal all failed to win last night, Diego Simeone will hope that his charges have what it takes to secure glory and prove the Spanish game can still mix it amongst the elite of the European elite.
Nuestro primer once de la #UCL 2021/22 🔴⚪ pic.twitter.com/EmXVWWIh82
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) September 15, 2021
Defending champions Atletico are third in La Liga, level on points with city rivals Real Madrid and Valencia. They beat newly-promoted Espanyol 2-1 away from home at the weekend. Porto are fourth in the Primeira Liga, four points off Benfica and also trailing Estoril Praia and last season’s champions Sporting Lisbon.
⚽𝕆 ℕ𝕆𝕊𝕊𝕆 𝟙𝟙 𝕀ℕ𝕀ℂ𝕀𝔸𝕃⚽#FCPorto #ATMFCP #UCL pic.twitter.com/LmuYmBk2Uk
— FC Porto (@FCPorto) September 15, 2021
Simeone has set his team up in what appears to be a 4-4-2, with Jan Oblak starting in goal behind a back four of Marcos Llorente, Felipe, Jose Maria Gimenez and Mario Hermoso. Geoffrey Kondogbia and Koke start in central midfield, flanked by Yannick Carrasco and Thomas Lemar. Luis Suarez, supported by Joao Felix, leads the line, with Antoine Griezmann benched.
