Can Milan break through the Rojiblancos’ defensive bulwark?
Group B of the 2021/22 Champions League season arguably earns the term “Group of Death”. All four teams may have set their sights on the round of 16 based on history, but also on the quality available. The top match will take place at the San Siro Stadium in Milan – Ac Milan welcome Atletico Madrid
For the Rossoneri it is their home return in the top flight after many years of abstinence. Head coach Diego Simeone’s visitors are not only the reigning Spanish champions, but have also impressed in the top flight in the past. Also on Tuesday, the lowest betting odds are offered for the Spanish visitors’ victory in the duel AC Milan vs Atletico Madrid.
Milan suffered an unfortunate 3-2 defeat at Anfield Road despite a double strike. No spectacle was on offer to fans in the parallel fixture as Atletico Madrid had to settle for a goalless draw in front of their home crowd in their Iberian clash with Porto. So for both teams, it’s all about the first CL win of 2021/22 on Tuesday from 9pm.
Italy AC Milan – Statistics & current form
In a few days, on 9 October, Stefano Pioli will complete two years as head coach at AC Milan. In these almost 24 months, a lot has happened and the former top club returned from nowhere in Italian football to the top flight. Rossoneri fans had to wait over seven years for this moment on Tuesday night. February 2014 was the last time the Champions League anthem sounded at the San Siro Stadium during an AC Milan match.
Home strength regained
The vice-championship last season resulted in particular from away strength. In 2020/21, Milan won 16 of their 19 away games, while only eight victories were achieved at home and this was the main reason why the Scudetto dream was shattered. This season, however, the Rossoneri seem to have finally regained their home strength, because the first three home games in Serie A all ended with a win In all three games (against Cagliari, Lazio Roma and Venezia) even the bet on the handicap was crowned with success.
Pioli’s only loss of points came in the clash with Juventus Turin. With 16 points from six games, Milan are once again in second place in the table, as the Partenopei from Naples still have a clean slate. The Rossoneri should not lack confidence even without the currently injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic (who turns 40 on Sunday).
Internationally, stability is often lacking
The first Champions League match after a seven-year break was the best advertisement for football and in a gripping match Milan had to concede an unfortunate 3-2 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield Road. Once again, Milan’s big shortcoming on the international stage was evident – the defence does not exude stability. In the last ten international home games alone (all in the Europa League), Milan have only managed to keep the clean sheet once.
In the “group of death”, however, it is precisely the strong defence that will be necessary to avoid early defeat. The Pioli team will probably be more destructive than usual on Tuesday, despite the home advantage, and the Spanish guests are a team for whom “safety first” has top priority. A game with few goal-scoring opportunities is to be expected, which is why the forecast for AC Milan against Atletico Madrid is Under 2.5
Predicted line-up of AC Milan:
Maignan – Theo Hernandez, Romagnoli, Tomori, Kalulu – Kessie, Tonali – Rebic, Diaz, Saelemaekers – Giroud
Last matches played by AC Milan:
Spain Atletico Madrid – Statistics & current form
As reigning champions and also due to the notable departures of their direct competitors, Atletico Madrid are also considered a hot candidate to win the Spanish LaLiga title in 2021/22. The Simeone eleven underlined this role in the first weeks with good results. But last weekend, the red and white team from the capital was defeated for the first time this season. The champions conceded a disappointing 0:1 defeat against Deportivo Alaves, who are still without points.
Disappointing CL opener
There was also a disappointment in the Champions League opener for the Spaniards. In the goalless draw against FC Porto, the Simeone eleven produced just six goals and, despite being clear favourites, scored a meagre 0.3 goals in the expected goals statistic However, for Atletico Madrid, who are not known for offensive fireworks anyway, this figure was the lowest since the 2016/17 CL semi-final against city rivals Real Madrid (0.2).
Now the Spaniards are already under pressure in Italy, as a defeat would drastically reduce their chances of reaching the last 16. Diego Simeone does not necessarily have good memories of “Bella Italia”. In the last four away games in the country of the new European champions, Atletico not only failed to win a single match, but the Rojiblancos did not even score a goal. Should this be the case again, Atletico Madrid would start with two winless CL group games for only the second time in the Simeone era (2017/18).
Suarez scored in every minute
Before the 1-0 defeat against Deportivo Alaves, the Rojiblancos were lucky to get a narrow 2-1 win against Getafe in the small derby. A game that Luis Suarez in particular will remember for a long time. The Uruguayan scored the 1-1 equaliser in the 78th minute and thus reached an extremely elite circle. Along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Suarez is the only player in the world to have scored at least once in every minute of a match.
Predicted line-up of Atletico Madrid:
Oblak – Felipe, Hermoso, Savic – Kondogbia – Carrasco, Llorente, de Paul, Trippier – Luis Suarez, Griezmann
Last matches played by Atletico Madrid:
AC Milan – Atletico Madrid Direct comparison / H2H Record
Two resounding names face each other at Milan’s San Siro Stadium on Tuesday. And despite both teams’ great successes on the international stage, this is a clash that has only ever been played in the last 16 of the 2013/14 season. On that occasion, the Rojiblancos from Madrid celebrated a 1-0 away victory in Milan and won 4-1 at home. The home game against Atletico Madrid in February 2014 was also the last Champions League home game for the Rossoneri – after more than seven years, the wait is over.
Italy AC Milan – Atletico Madrid Spain betting tips
Whoever makes it through Group of Death B will surely be among the contenders for the 2021/22 CL title. In this balanced and difficult group, nuances can make the difference and any slip-up could be one too many. There are no “easy games” and the pressure on the players’ shoulders is correspondingly great. Despite home advantage, AC Milan are not considered favourites against Atletico Madrid according to current odds.
While the Rossoneri have regained home strength this season and Atletico Madrid do not have good memories against Italian teams. In general, however, a prediction in the three-way market actually seems too risky. Given the starting position, both teams will probably choose risk very carefully and not many possibilities are to be expected. This results in the tip for the top match AC Milan vs Atletico Madrid that not both teams will score
