Atletico Madrid vs Lille

Estadio Metropolitano hosts the first-ever UEFA Champions League meeting between Atletico Madrid and Lille.

After a come-from-behind 2-1 win against RB Leipzig at the beginning of their latest Champions League campaign, Atletico Madrid suffered their joint-heaviest defeat in competition history against Benfica last time out (4-0). That result formed part of Los Rojiblancos’ three-game winless streak in all competitions (D2, L1) before a 3-1 comeback triumph against La Liga minnows Leganes at the weekend stemmed the bleeding. Keen to get back on track in Europe, Diego Simeone’s men can draw heart from the fact the abovementioned thumping to Benfica remains their only loss in competitive action this term (W6, D5). Furthermore, the Spaniards have only lost once in their 15 previous European encounters against French opposition (W9, D5).

Meanwhile, Lille will unlikely be intimidated by Atleti’s dominant record against Ligue 1 sides after beating their fierce rivals Real Madrid 1-0 last time out in response to a 2-0 defeat at Sporting CP on the opening Champions League matchday. Les Dogues will take this trip in a buoyant mood, having clocked up a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W3, D2), bookended by a 0-0 draw at domestic rivals Monaco at the weekend. The visitors can seek further comfort in their decent-looking form in the Champions League group/league phase, highlighted by four wins from their last five such fixtures (L1) – as many victories as they managed in their previous 29 such outings.