Atletico Madrid vs Club Brugge predictions and match preview for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture. Read on for analysis and predicted lineups as Atleti entertain Belgian opposition.
| Date | Wednesday 12th October 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 18:45 (local time) |
| Stadium | Metropolitano |
| Competition | UEFA Champions League |
Atletico Madrid vs Club Brugge Preview
Atletico Madrid have a very important Champions League date this weekend as they welcome surprise group leaders Brugge to the Metropolitano. Three points are badly needed for Diego Simeone’s side as they bid to get their Champions League campaign back on track after successive defeats.
Losing back-to-back games is always very damaging in the group stage of this competition. 2-0 defeats in both Leverkusen and Bruges last week leave Atleti with a lot of work to do if they want to be playing Champions League knockout stage football in the new year. However as one of three teams level on three points in this group, this situation is by no means terminal, not least with two of their final three games at home.
As worrying as the results, has been the nature of some of Atletico Madrid’s performances this season. They haven’t fully convinced yet and don’t look like they are operating on anything like the level of a truly elite European team. Los Rojiblancos did at least manage to get the better of Girona at the weekend to move into the top four of LaLiga with Angel Correa bagging a brace in a 2-1 win, but again they struggled to truly exert dominance against on paper inferior opposition.
That will be the challenge here with Brugge in a very commanding position in this group, sitting pretty on 9 points after surprising everyone by winning their 3 opening games. Goals from Kamal Sowah and former Barcelona forward Ferran Jutgla sealed a 2-0 win over Atleti last week to the delight of the Belgian crowd and they will qualify for the last sixteen if they win this match. That would be a simply outstanding achievement for a club that has never previously progressed from a Champions League group.
It’ll be interesting to see how coach Carl Hoefkens approaches these final three games. The natural thing would be for caution to prevail, now they are within touching distance of a historic achievement. However he won’t want to tinker too much with a formula that is clearly working in Europe, despite some poor recent league results including a 2-0 home defeat against Westerlo last weekend.
Possible Lineups
Atletico Madrid: Oblak – Reinildo, Gimenez, Savic – Carrasco, Lemar, Witsel, Koke, Molina – Morata, Correa (3-5-2)
Club Brugge: Mignolet – Meijer, Sylla, Mechele, Odoi – Nielsen, Onyedika, Vanaken, Buchanan – Sowah, Jutgla (4-4-2)
Score Prediction: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Club Brugge
It wouldn’t be a Champions League group if Atleti weren’t making life difficult for themselves. They’ve not been anywhere near good enough so far but home advantage should help them here and Brugge’s bubble has to burst sooner or later as in theory at least this is not a side that should strike fear into a team of Atletico Madrid’s quality. Los Rojiblancos ought to register three points but they may have to dig deep and be patient as the visitors aren’t likely to throw too much caution to the wind.
PLEASE NOTE – Our European predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish teams playing in Europe. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
