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Atletico Madrid and Manchester United open their key to the round of 16 of the Champions League. Both teams do not arrive at their best moment, but they have the opportunity to start their football rise from this duel at the Wanda Metropolitano. Televisa Fox Sports.
Diego Simeone opted for a forward made up of Angel Strap and joao felixwhile he left on the bench of substitutes Luis Suarez already Antoine Griezmann, who returns from injury. To start with, his decision was the right one because before 10 minutes he already prevailed on the scoreboard.
From the start, the locals came out determined to take the win with very high pressure and intense dynamics, turning the midfield into a mere transition zone. Thus, and before a completely bewildered English team, he found himself opening the scoring after six minutes. Was joao felix with a header after a cross Lodi the one that put the 1 to 0 after a disorderly exit of the visiting cast that allowed the Portuguese to appear free through the middle of the goal and score with a header.
It was a perfect first time for the whole cholos that he did not need interventions from his goalkeeper, he completely drowned his opponent and had options to score another goal, if it had not been because the ball hit the crossbar.
In contrast, the Manchester United closed an initial stage with a more than lackluster performance, without ideas, with the forwards disconnected from the rest of the team, with a Pogba lacking rhythm for making some decisions and completely alone in the middle, with individual performances, especially from Maguire and of Earlyworrying for a club that aspires to become strong in this competition and with an annoying Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Champions League is the tournament that causes the most sleeplessness, but also the most ambition, in the whole red and whitewhat shows his worst moment of the entire decade because his defense is nothing like what it was, because his game conveys nothing but concerns and because hardly anyone lives up to the expectations of last summer.
Not even the Wanda Metropolitano is the fort it used to be. Neither at a general level, with the example of the defeat against the last in the League, Levante, nor in the Champions League, in which they have lost their last two home games: 2-3 against Liverpool and 0-1 with Milan.
While Simeone tries to recover the structure of five back from the beginning, he suffers the casualties of Koke Resurrección, Matheus Cunha, Daniel Wass and Yannick Carrasco. On the other hand, he recovers Thomas Lemar and Benjamin Lecomte, both on the bench, and José María Giménez, the starter.
United does not arrive at its best moment of the season either, although at least the Red Devils they took flight somewhat in their last two games. Wins against Brighton and Leeds United have brightened the situation in the table. However, Ralf Rangnick’s team is weak defensivelywith Harry Maguire always in the photos and Raphael Varane who still yearns for the level that made him lift four European Cups when he wore white.
But there is Cristiano Ronaldo, the wild card, who although he has only scored one goal in 2022, is always a threat inside the box. For the duel, Rangnick has almost all of his strength, except for Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani, who has missed the last three games with a groin injury.
FORMATIONS
TV: Fox Sports
STADIUM: Wanda Metropolitano
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