Atlético de Madrid face PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday night in a crunch Champions League clash — and Atlético will hope to end a two-game skid that began in Barcelona last week.
A victory in the Netherlands could see Atlético (12th in the league phase table with nine points) move into the top eight with two rounds to go. It would be Atleti’s fourth win in six Champions League fixtures and practically ensure the Rojiblancos’ presence in the knockout playoff round, at the very least.
Julián Alvarez is Atleti’s top scorer in the Champions League with three goals. Europa Press via Getty Images
Atlético have a good record against Dutch opposition, have accrued 10 wins against four defeats in 16 all-time meetings against clubs from the Netherlands. Most recently, Atleti defeated Feyenoord twice during the 2023/24 Champions League group stage. And in six all-time meetings between these two clubs, Atleti have never lost to PSV, though the most recent meeting was a 2-0 victory for the Colchoneros at the old Vicente Calderón in the 2016/17 group stage.
Peter Bosz’s PSV are top of the Eredivisie, having scored a league-best 46 goals and having picked up 40 of a possible 45 points. The Rood-witten also sit just a point behind Atlético, having picked up eight points from the opening five league phase matches. Their win over Liverpool at Anfield two weeks ago was particularly impressive; PSV landed an incredible 13 shots on target, and top scorer Guus Til scored the eventual winner in a 4-1 demolition. PSV previously mauled Napoli, last season’s Serie A champions, to the tune of a 6-2 scoreline back in October.
Atlético revealed on Monday that center-back Clément Lenglet will not travel to Eindhoven after he picked up a muscle strain in Saturday’s limp defeat to Athletic Club. Álex Baena, Josema Giménez and Marcos Llorente all remain sidelined with soft tissue injuries.
Fortunately, Robin Le Normand is back, and he is expected to start in defense after a month out due to a knee strain. Johnny Cardoso is back too, and if Diego Simeone’s recent choices serve as any indication, Johnny may return to the 11 immediately following starts against Inter Milan and FC Barcelona prior to his knee contusion.
At Monday’s press conference, both Simeone and Nahuel Molina were asked about Atlético’s away form — especially in comparison to the team’s sterling record at home. In the Metropolitano, Atleti have won 10 in a row; on their travels, the Colchoneros have won only twice all season. Both acknowledged that it’s an issue, and Tuesday night at Philips Stadion is a great chance to correct it.
“It’s obvious that we feel really comfortable in front of our fans,” Molina said. “But this club demands that you win both home and away.”
“The results haven’t been as positive as we would have liked (but) we’ve done a lot of good things in the away games,” Simeone said. “The team is playing well. We scored early against Betis, we had chances against Getafe and didn’t take them, and we were under pressure in the 80th minute. Teams suffer away from home.”
Possible 11 Oblak; Molina, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri; Johnny, Barrios, Nico, Giuliano; Sørloth, Alvarez.
