Although this past weekend's game was a personal milestone for Diego Simeone, it did not conclude on a good note. The Argentinian tactician reached a total of 211 consecutive games in charge of the Rojiblancos but ended up on the losing end as one of their on-loan players, Léo Baptistão, fired in the sole goal to send Villarreal to the top of the La Liga table for the first time in the team's history.
As such, they currently sit in fifth place, but currently boast the joint-best defensive record out of the 20 teams in Spain's top flight and will be hoping that same solid form translates into success against Benfica in the Champions League later today.
Atletico Madrid
Whilst the loss to Villarreal will surely be disappointing to the 2014 La Liga winners, Atletico nonetheless have done well thus far in their Champions League campaign by defeating Galatasaray on the road courtesy of a brace from Antoine Griezmann. The team have really shown their defensive mettle both in domestic and continental play so far, with only Barcelona and Villarreal being the only sides to have successfully scored against them.
In their seven matches across all competitions, Simeone's men have conceded just three goals and have shown that their attack has been firing on all cylinders. Griezmann has netted five in all competitions, whilst veteran attacker Fernando Torres has two and should he score tonight, El Nino will reach 100 goals for the club that he made his name at prior to departing for Liverpool. And although
With regards to available personnel, only Koke will miss out due to a hamstring injury suffered during the loss to Villarreal. At the Vicente Calderon, Atletico
Last season, Simeone's side not only earned maximum points but also outscored their opponents by 10 to zero. Although tonight's meeting will be the first ever between Atletico Madrid and Benfica, they overall have a good home record against Portuguese opponents, with five wins, two draws, and one loss.
Benfica
Meanwhile, Benfica have also started their Champions League campaign off well by recording a 2-0 win over debutants Astana on opening day. Whilst it was not the blowout their fans would have expected, it nonetheless means all three points in the bag for Rui Vitoria's squad, who endured a miserable term in this competition last season. Unlike Atletico, they will be coming into this game having cruised to a comfortable win in their most recent domestic fixture, and with 16 goals in the league - seven alone netted by Jonas - the visitors could pose a huge threat to Atletico's back-line.
Defensively they have also fared well, with just five goals conceded in their past eight matches in all competitions.
Overall, Benfica
Only one team can emerge victorious tonight. Will Atletico Madrid make it two wins out of two? Or will Benfica overcome their past bad memories of playing on Spanish soil?
Make sure you don't miss out this game and the rest of this week's group stage clashes by bookmarking our special Atletico Madrid vs. Benfica and Champions League pages for viewing times and options for your specific location.
Atletico Madrid vs Benfica Team Sheets
Atletico Starting XI: Jan Oblak, Juanfran, Giménez, Godín y Filipe Luis, Gabi, Tiago y Óliver, Griezmann, Jackson Martínez, Correa
Benfica Starting XI: Semedo, Luisão, Jardel, Eliseu, A. Almeida,
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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