Atlético Madrid (W)
- Atlético Madrid (W) are winless in five matches across all competitions (D3, L2), including a 4-0 loss to OL Lyon in the UWCL.
- Atlético Madrid (W) have a similar philosophy to their men’s team, setting up in a 4-3-3 and looking to be compact, press aggressively and play at pace when they can transition quickly from wing-to-center.
- José Herrera, who took over in late January, is known to be a stickler for discipline and his side have already started to look a bit more solid.
- Atlético are fifth in Liga F on 28 points from 18 games and have the home advantage on Thursday.
Manchester United (W)
- Manchester United (W) are unbeaten in their last five across all competitions (W5) which included victories over Leicester, Liverpool and Arsenal.
- Manchester United (W) are in red-hot form coming into Thursday’s first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League playoff against Atlético Madrid (W).
- A new manager bounce appears to have been the catalyst for United’s resurgence since Marc Skinner took charge at the end of November 2021.
- United’s win at home to Arsenal last weekend saw the manager switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation.
- United’s default set-up is a flexible 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 system that relies heavily on the organisation of the team and the No.6 controlling the tempo.
Head-to-Head
United edged Atlético 1-0 away in October with both sides having a player sent off .
Key Players
- With Luany serving her suspension, the onus will be on Synne Jensen, Fiamma Iannuzzi and Amaiur Sarriegi to create chances for Atlético’s strikers and it will also be on veteran keeper Lola Gallardo to stop the shots from United.
- Fridolina Rolfö is the main goal threat for United in Europe, having scored the only goal in the return fixture in October.
- Julia Zigiotti Olme has scored three goals in her last five appearances and has been a catalyst for United’s surge into the new year.
Betting Insights
- The bookies have United at 2.24, Atlético 2.95 and the draw 3.55.
- Over 2.5 goals is available at 1.7 while under 2.5 goals is at 2.1.
- United’s squad depth and ability to turn to impact substitutes should give them the edge across the two legs.
Prediction
We’re backing Manchester United (W) to edge the first leg or at least avoid defeat and take a draw back to the UK.
