Atlético make four changes to the side named for the 1-0 win at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. Thomas, Koke, Juanfran and Diego Costa are in. Santiago Arias, Ángel Correa and Alvaro Morata drop to the bench, while Alejandro Galvez misses out entirely.
Juve make three changes to the team selected for the 3-0 home victory over Frosinone last Friday. Miralem Pjanić, Alex Sandro and Blaise Matuidi return, taking the places of the benched João Cancelo and Emre Can, and the injured Sami Khedira.
Tonight’s teams
Atlético Madrid: Oblak, Juanfran, Gimenez, Godin, Filipe Luis, Koke, Thomas, Rodri, Saul, Griezmann, Costa.
Subs: Adan, Arias, Kalinic, Correa, Lemar, Savic, Morata.
Juventus: Szczesny, De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro, Bentancur, Pjanic, Matuidi, Dybala, Mandzukic, Ronaldo.
Subs: Perin, Caceres, Joao Cancelo, Can, Rugani, Bernardeschi, Spinazzola.
Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany).
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Preamble
It’s guaranteed to be another Nearly Year for at least one of the Nearly Teams of recent seasons. Atlético Madrid and Juventus have both reached the final twice in the past five years, but neither have lifted the trophy during that time. Atlético were denied by their city rivals Real in 2014 and 2016; Juve were downed by Barcelona in 2015 and Real in 2017. Only one of them will still have the chance to right those wrongs after this tie is over.
Atlético will be especially desperate to reach the final again, because this season it’s going to be played at their very own Estadio Metropolitano. Diego Simeone’s team aren’t going into this tie in the best form, having won just four of their last nine matches in all competitions. But it’s not all bad news. Antoine Griezmann has smoking-hot boots right now, with ten goals in his last 11 appearances. Los Colchoneros – the reigning Europa League champs – have won their last eight European matches at home. They’re unbeaten in 12 home Champions League matches. And they’ve won their last five home games against Italian teams. Plenty to go on there.
Juve’s patchy record against Spanish teams will also give Atlético heart. The Bianconeri have won only three of their last nine matches in Spain (albeit both of the last two, against Real Madrid and Valencia). In total, they’ve lost 16 of 28 away games against teams from La Liga. But then their current form is where they’ll draw inspiration. Massimiliano Allegri’s men are still unbeaten in Serie A, while Cristiano Ronaldo has already celebrated 21 goals in Juve’s zebra stripes, some return for the 34-year-old seeing he’s only played 32 matches. It really depends how you look at it.
Both defences are mean as hell, so this may be tense rather than thrilling. Then again, everyone expected a goalfest at Anfield last night, and look what happened there. So here’s hoping we witness a few flying in, as two European giants go toe to toe for a place in the quarter-finals of the 2018-19 Champions League. It’s the 1974, 2014 and 2016 runners-up versus the 1985 and 1996 winners! It’s on!
Kick off: 8pm GMT, 9pm local.
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