Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid 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 Atleti travel to London trailing by a goal.
- DATE: Wednesday 17th March 2021
- KICK-OFF: 20:00 (local time)
- VENUE: Stamford Bridge
- COMPETITION: UEFA Champions League Last 16, 2nd Leg
- Chelsea lead 1-0 on aggregate.
Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid Preview
Atletico Madrid travel to London this week with a tough task on their hands as they bid to turn around a 1-0 deficit in the Champions League last 16. Thomas Tuchel’s Blues are in good form and will be firm favourites to make the Quarter-Finals but Atleti will still believe the situation is salvable.
The 1st leg took place not at the Wanda Metropolitano but in Bucharest, Romania. It came while Atleti were in the midst of a real decline in form and it was a poor showing from Diego Simeone’s side. They showed a Chelsea team that does have defensive vulnerabilities and was missing Thiago Silva too much respect as the English side largely controlled the match. It was clear that Simeone would have been more than happy with a 0-0 draw to take into the 2nd Leg but Olivier Giroud’s spectacular 2nd Half goal sealed victory for Chelsea.
Atleti will have to show considerably more going forward in this game otherwise their European campaign will be over. They have been slightly more convincing since the 1st Leg, taking 8 points from 4 league games in a run which has included some tough fixtures such as the Madrid derby and an away trip to Villarreal. Their most recent outing was a disappointing 0-0 draw at Getafe where Atleti failed to convert a series of late chances to win the game.
Atletico have happy memories of this ground having won a Champions League Semi-Final 2nd Leg here in 2014. Only Koke remains from the starting XI that night though and this is also clearly a very different Chelsea side.
Since Thomas Tuchel took charge in January, the West London club have gone 12 games unbeaten claiming some impressive wins over the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool along the way. Ominously for Atleti, Chelsea have not conceded a goal since before the 1st Leg. They’ve gone 5 games without letting in since a 1-1 draw at Southampton in February.
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 2 Chelsea Wins, 2 Atleti Wins, 2 Draws.
- There hasn’t been a home win in meetings between these clubs since Chelsea beat Atleti 4-0 in the 2009/10 UCL group stage.
- Atleti’s last two visits have seen them win 3-1 in the Semi-Finals in 2014 and draw 1-1 in the group stage in 2017.
- Chelsea won the 1st Leg of this tie 1-0 in Bucharest three weeks ago.
Team News
Jorginho is suspended for Chelsea who have doubts over Thiago Silva and Mason Mount.
Atleti are expected to be at full strength.
Predicted Chelsea Starting Lineup:
Mendy – Rudiger, Christensen, Azpilcueta – Alonso, Kovacic, Kante, Hudson-Odoi – Werner, Mount – Giroud (3-4-2-1)
Predicted Atleti Starting Lineup:
Oblak – Gimenez, Savic, Hermoso – Carrasco, Saul, Koke, Llorente, Trippier – Suarez, Correa (3-5-2)
Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid Predictions
Score Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Atleti (Chelsea win 2-1 on aggregate)
This tie is not over and Atletico Madrid are experienced European campaigners. They will take confidence from what they did at Anfield last season and will have a stronger side out than in the 1st Leg with Kieran Trippier back. His presence brings much greater balance to the team and frees Marcos Llorente up to influence the game further forward but overall this may be just too big an ask for Atleti to turn the tie around.
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 on Tipstrr. You can view our profit/loss stats and success ratios there.
Read our latest Champions League & Europa League match previews.
Please note, we don’t guarantee any long-term gains if you’re backing our predictions tips. If you do choose to bet, only stake what you can afford to lose. See BeGambleAware for more on responsible gambling.
