Champions League

Atletico, Leipzig clash to face PSG in Champions League semis

Rappler.com

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Atletico, Leipzig clash to face PSG in Champions League semis

Photo from Atletico Madrid Twitter

The Spanish and German sides battle in what looks to be an extremely evenly matched affair

Projected Atletico Madrid starting XI: Oblak; Trippier, Gimenez, Savic, Lodi; Koke (C), Llorente, Saul, Carrasco; Felix, Costa

Projected RB Leipzig starting XI: Gulacsi; Klostermann, Upamecano, Halstenberg; Mukiele, Laimer, Sabitzer (C), Angelino; Olmo, Schick, Nkunku

RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid square off for a ticket to the UEFA Champions League semifinals that has French champion team Paris Saint-Germain waiting on the other side, on Thursday, August 13 (Friday, August 14, 3 am, Philippine time) at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal.

Leipzig spent 8 weeks on top of the Bundesliga table before tailing off at the latter part of the season.

They coolly dispatched Tottenham Hotspur in the Round of 16, 4-0, on aggregate, although that was with the services of Timo Werner, who led the team in goals with 34 across all competitions. 

The German club will be without the services of Werner after the German’s £47.5-million release clause was paid by Chelsea. But Leipzig will have other options to lead the attack, as 6’4 target man Yussuf Poulsen is expected to be fit after sustaining an ankle injury last May.

On the other end of the pitch, defensive anchor Ibrahima Konate will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on his right hip flexor. 

Attackers Patrik Schik, Marcel Sabitzer and Poulsen will be tasked with the burden of replacing Werner’s goal scoring prowess. The 3 have combined for 31 goals across all competitions this past season.

Leipzig skipper Sabitzer has been a particularly reliable goal scorer for Leipzig in the competition, scoring 4 goals in the Champions League, tying Werner and bench sparkplug Emil Forsberg for the team lead.

On the other hand, Atletico Madrid escaped the Round of 16 with a 3-2 upset of 2019 champion Liverpool at Anfield in the second leg, winning the tie 4-2 on aggregate. 

Atletico scored 3 times in extra time, turning the tie around after the Reds looked to be in control of the match after a 94th minute goal that put the English side up, 2-1, on aggregate.

In La Liga, however, Atleti had its fair share of struggles, as they ended up with their lowest point total (70) since 2012 (56), manager Diego Simeone’s debut season. 

Nineteen-year old Joao Felix had an up-and-down season, although all throughout the season, he’s shown flashes of why he’s Atleti’s record signing at €126 million. 

The wunderkind will have plenty of help leading the Atleti attack. Former Chelsea frontmen, Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata will have his back in shouldering the offensive load.

Morata led his side with 16 goals across all competitions. The partnership of Saul and Koke looks primed as well to control the midfield battle.

Defensive midfielder Thomas Partey looks doubtful to return from a thigh injury while winger Angel Correa and right-back Sime Vrsaljko will be out for the tie after testing positive for COVID-19.

The X-factor for the Spanish side will be midfielder Marcos Llorente, the hero of their second leg victory against Liverpool. Llorente came off the bench in the 56th minute and scored two goals that pushed Atleti over the top.

The two sides are too evenly matched, even if Werner’s departure suggests otherwise.

Both have only lost a few number of games this season. Atleti only lost 8 games this season, while Leipzig have lost fewer with 6.

The two sides are noted draw merchants, with Atleti drawing 17 games and Leipzig drawing 14. Both clubs finished third in their respective leagues.

However, Atletico Madrid’s last loss of the season came all the way back in February when it lost to rivals Real Madrid, 1-0, in the league. RB Leipzig lost to Borussia Dortmund, 2-0, last June. 

The Spanish side’s unbeaten streak will come in handy in the knockout stages and its track record in the competition suggests that Simeone and company will be able to pull through and make their third semifinals in 7 years.

Due to the circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals have a different look than in previous years.

The quarter and semifinals of the competition will be played in a single-leg tie in neutral grounds, unlike a home and away two-leg tie in previous years.  – Jedd Pagaduan/Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!