Competition:UEFA Champions League
Date:21/02/2017
Day:Tuesday
Kick Off:23:45
Venue: BayArena (Leverkusen)
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Bayer Leverkusen vs Atletico Madrid predictions for their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 first-leg match at the BayArena on Tuesday February 21. Atletico continue their quest to reach a third final in four years. Read on for our free predictions and betting tips.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Atletico Madrid Preview and Prediction
Bayer Leverkusen are the rank outsiders among the 16 teams left in this season’s UEFA Champions League but could give Atletico Madrid a stern test, especially in the first leg.
Along with Portuguese duo Benfica and Porto, Bayer would have been at the top of the list of the clubs the group winners would have most wanted to be paired with in the first knockout round.
Therefore, Diego Simeone and his Atletico side will certainly not have been complaining when the draw pitted them against these particular Germans.
After all, Atleti have already this season maintained their dominance over the Bundesliga’s best team, Bayern Munich, following their success over those rivals in last term’s semi-finals by finishing three points clear of them at the top of Group D this time around.
But the round-robin phase of the competition ended with Los Colchoneros losing 1-0 in Munich and they may not return triumphant from this trip to Germany either.
Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (right) vies with Bayer Leverkusen’s Hakan Calhanoglu (Getty Images)
Only six clubs were unbeaten during the group stage and Leverkusen were one of them, with two victories and four draws sending them through along with Monaco and at the expense of Tottenham Hotspur.
Although it was essentially a dead rubber, Roger Schmidt’s side saw off Monaco very stylishly 3-0 in their last game and had one of the better defensive records among the qualifiers – as did Atletico who conceded only twice in their six matches.
And with Bayer looking unlikely to book another Champions League appearance next term, barring a fantastic run of results in the second half of the Bundesliga campaign, they can afford to put all their eggs in this one basket in their efforts to advance in the competition.
A low-scoring encounter is expected and while it may be a different story back in the Spanish capital, Bayer Leverkusen may just be able to ensure it is all square going into the second leg.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Atletico Madrid stats
These clubs have met in two previous European campaigns within the last seven years, with never more than two goals in each match
Bayer Leverkusen have not lost at home to Atletico Madrid
Atletico had the joint best defensive record during this season’s group stage
Recommended bets
Draw
1-1 correct score
