The Champions' League has produced some stunning matches in the group stages during the past, and the upcoming massive encounter between Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich could also fall in the same bracket on Wednesday. With both teams being a European powerhouse, the match has all the ingredients of a classic encounter.
Both the teams have started the Champions League well, winning their respective opening matches, but this head-to-head match is going to be their litmus test. A win for either team will give them immense confidence, going ahead into the competition, where they are both expected to reach the knockout stages, and are also favourites for the title.
Bayern were absolutely wonderful in their last match against FC Rostov, as they defeated their opponents easily, score reading 5-0. This result did not come as a massive surprise, as the German giants are known to score goals against weaker opposition.
However, Atletico Madrid did not have it easy as Bayern, with the Spanish club emerging victorious with a narrow scoreline, 1-0 against PSV Eindhoven. There is a serious need for Atletico to up their game a notch higher against Bayern.
Bayern come into this fixture with an impressive domestic record this season, winning all their matches, but Atletico have not been mighty impressive, as they have won three and drawn three. But, when it comes to such clashes, one can expect players like Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres to take their game to the next level.
Talking about world-class players, Bayern have that in abundance including Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Arturo Vidal and others. It is not only going to be about the players in both the camps, but also star managers – Diego Simone (Madrid), Carlo Ancelotti (Bayern), who will chalk various plans to help their team shine in the all-important fixture.
Besides the team strategies, which will be in place for this match, what makes this extremely interesting is their last head-to-head CL record. Atletico knocked out Bayern from the Champions League last year. They were involved in gruelling semifinals, played across two legs, with the tie finishing 2-2 on aggregate. However, it was heartbreak for Bayern, who crashed out due to away goals.
Bayern Munich will be plotting revenge, making the contest one to watch out for in the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich Champions League schedule
Date: September 28
Time 8.45 pm CET (12.15 am IST, 7.45 pm BST, 2.45 pm ET) start
Venue: Vicente Calderón, Madrid
TV Listings:
India: Ten 1 HD.
US: ESPN 3 USA.
UK: BT Sport.
Germany: Sky Sport 1.
Spain: Movistar +.
