Atletico Madrid vs Lokomotiv Moscow predictions and match preview for Wednesday’s game in the UEFA Champions League. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as Los Rojiblancos aim to keep their good run going.
- DATE: Wednesday 25th November 2020
- KICK-OFF: 21:00 (local time)
- VENUE: Wanda Metropolitano
- COMPETITION: UEFA Champions League (Group Stage)
Atletico Madrid vs Lokomotiv Moscow Preview
Atletico Madrid are back at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday, just a few days on from a very significant win against Barcelona in LaLiga. Things are now shaping up really nicely for Los Rojiblancos this season and Diego Simeone will expect nothing less than three points from his side here.
Victory would push them firmly in the direction of the knockout stages but anything less would open the door slightly to opponents Lokmotiv and indeed RB Salzburg in a group which is being dominated by holders Bayern Munich. Atleti will feel as though they should have won when the sides met in Russia three weeks ago but had to settle for a point with Anton Miranchuk’s penalty levelling matters after Jose Gimenez had put the Spanish side in front.
Since then, Atleti have played twice and put in two really convincing displays at the Wanda Metropolitano beating Cadiz 4-0 and Barcelona 1-0 in LaLiga. They are now looking like strong title candidates in Spain with their main rivals looking weak and overall it has been a terrific response from that painful night in Munich with 5 wins and a draw from their 6 games in all competitions since conceding 4 against Bayern.
Lokomotiv Moscow showed they can be competitive in the first match but in truth even 3rd place in this group would be an achievement for them. They were beaten 5-1 in a Moscow derby against Dynamo just days after holding Atleti and are down in 8th in the Russian Premier League. They’d be delighted with a point here and that would set them up nicely for a more winnable home game against Salzburg next week.
Head to Head
- The sides drew 1-1 in Russia three weeks ago.
- Atletico Madrid had won 4 of the 5 meetings prior to that.
- The sides met in the Champions League group stage last season with Atleti winning both games 2-0.
Team News
Uruguayans Lucas Torreira and Luis Suarez are both set to be absent again following positive tests for COVID-19. We may see a more orthodox 4-4-2 from Atleti here with weekend hero Yannick Carrasco playing further forward.
Fedor Smolov and Dimitri Barinov are both missing with the former’s absence a significant blow to their goal threat.
Predicted Atletico Madrid Starting Lineup:
Oblak – Lodi, Gimenez, Savic, Trippier – Carrasco, Koke, Saul, Llorente – Felix, Correa (4-4-2)
Predicted Lokomotiv Moscow Starting Lineup:
Guilherme – Rybus, Cerqueira, Corluka, Zhivoglyadov – Miranchuk, Kulikov, Krychowiak, Zhemaletdinov – Luis, Eder (4-4-2)
Atletico Madrid vs Lokomotiv Moscow Predictions
Score Prediction: Atleti 2-0 Lokomotiv
It’s hard to look past Atletico Madrid in this game. They look like a team with more variety to their play than in recent seasons, better in possession but without losing those solid defensive foundations. They are full of confidence right now and they ought to record another solid home victory to nil which would put them within touching distance of the next round.
UEFA Champions League Betting Tips (18+)
You can view our tips for this match and all the others in Europe this week involving Spanish teams by signing up to follow our All Competitions Portfolio for free on Tipstrr. You can view our profit/loss stats and success ratios there.
Please note, we don’t guarantee any long-term gains if you’re backing our tips. If you do choose to bet, only stake what you can afford to lose. See BeGambleAware for more on responsible gambling.
Read our latest Champions League & Europa League match previews.
