Atletico Madrid will face R.B.Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final tie at Estadio Jose Alvalade of Lisbon, Portugal. This match has all the elements of being a classic tactical thriller. Both Diego Simeone and Julian Nagelsmann will try to outclass each other with their exceptional tactical brain. So this match will be a treat for football lovers to watch. This is our exclusive Atletico vs Leipzig tactical preview, where we’ll discuss how the teams and managers will try to overpower each other.
Atletico Madrid
Since the restart of La Liga Atletico Madrid has been in a great form. They have played an attractive and attacking brand of football and climbed from 7th to 3rd position in the league table. Unlike their normal style, they have played an attacking brand of football and scored lots of goals. If they can continue their form they can be called as one of the favourites to win the Champions League this season.
Probable Lineup and Team News
Our Atletico Madrid vs R.B. Leipzig tactical preview also includes probable lineups.
Atletico Madrid recently faced a big blow losing Vrsaljko and Correa due to infection of COVID-19. So Arias and Llorente can start in their positions respectively. Thomas Partey is also uncertain due to injury. Rest of the team is fully fit and can lineup as predicted above.
Atletico Madrid vs R B. Leipzig tactical preview: How can Atletico buildup in this match?
Simeone’s Atletico Madrid likes to let the opponent enjoy possession. Simeone wants his team to cover-up spaces instead of keeping the ball on their feet. So we will first discuss how Madrid’s side can play without possession.
Without Possession
Without possession, Atletico will defend in a 4-4-2 formation. As mentioned earlier instead of pressing high they like to occupy spaces. Only the two forwards will press the opponent’s center-backs. The rest will focus mainly on maintaining the shape. They can use man to man marking on the midfield players and try them to starch out to the wings. This will hamper the build-up play of the opponent and Atletico can easily win the ball. Instantly after winning the ball, the central mids will try to play it to the wing. Carrasco and Llorente are the main sources of the Atletico attack. They will take a run on the space left behind by the opponent. They will try to cut inside dribbling the opponent fullback and either a final ball or to take a shot. These counter-attacks resulted in most of the Atletico goals after the restart of La Liga.
With Possession
With possession, Atletico likes to build up from the back. Saul and Koke are one of the main sources of creativity for this team. Between them, Saul plays as the deep-lying playmaker. He drops in front of the two center-backs to create a passing triangle in the back. This allows the fullback to overlap. Among the two fullbacks, Arias mainly overlaps. He provides the width while Llorente cuts inside effectively to become the second striker.
Simeone uses Diego Costa as the target man. He is good in the air and with his body strength, he can challenge opposition defenders. He receives the ball and connects with Felix and Llorente who make runs into the box.
Koke plays as a number 10. He connects the wingers with the forwards and exploits pockets of space. He has an excellent vision and can easily pass to the right player at the right time. He plays like a hook to keep everything connected. Though Atletico is often termed as one of the defensive sides their buildup play is also very strong.
R.B. Leipzig
Leipzig has played fantastic football this season and is considered as one of the sensational sides of Europe. Julian Nagglsmann is considered as one of the smartest footballing minds. His versatility in tactics is beyond imagination. He helped the club to finish third in Bundesliga this season. Now he is eying to reach at least semifinals of Uefa Champions League and finish the season with a bang.
Probable Lineup and Team news
Our Atletico vs Leipzig tactical preview also includes probable lineup of both teams.
Leipzig will miss their main man Timo Werner as the German has already signed for Chelsea this season. Nagelsmann can shift his formation to a 3-4-3 and shift Forsberg to the left-wing. Rest of the team can lineup in the way shown above.
Atletico Madrid vs R.B.Leipzig tactical preview : How can Leipzig counter
With Possession
Julien Nagelsmann is a manager who likes to play with possession. He looks to play out from the back. In the predicted lineup, Klostermann is the main ballplayer. He will provide the ball to the wingers or the forwards. Leipzig uses Poulsen as a target man. He will receive the balls from the defence and will play it in the path of Sabitzer or Forsberg who will make a run through the defence. The two wingers will cut inside and the width of the pitch will be covered by the wingbacks who will provide low crosses inside the box to cash in. The main job of the two mids is to absorb pressure by playing one-touch passing combinations with the wingbacks and the forward. They help a lot to break the low blocks and mid blocks by creating 3v2 overloads in certain positions.
Without Possession
Without possession, Leipzig can form a 5-3-2 shape. Their pressing style us a bit different. Two of their forwards will press the full-backs while one will maintain a cover shadow between the Center backs and Deep lying playmakers. This will hamper opponents playing out from the back and will force them to go long. The Central mids will stay in front of the defensive line to block the central space. This will outreach opponents and will force them to go wide. In the flanks, they can create numerical supremacy or balance. They’re Central Defenders are extremely good while defending crosses so they can negate the danger easily.
Final Thoughts
Both the team’s style of play complements each other. Atletico likes to allow opponents with possession while Leipzig’s back and mids like to play passes. So this match can be a tactical masterclass with two of the greatest tacticians showing their weapons one after the other. This match is exactly 50-50 with any of the teams can win this tie and qualify for the semifinals.
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